Come Morning Light
by Forfun100
Summary: One year ago sisters Reyna and Hylla mysteriously disappeared from their family cabin on Blackwood Mountain. However, in the spirit of tradition and mending what was lost, the friends return for their annual winter getaway. But something's wrong, as the night grows darker, their situation becomes more dire. The clock is ticking who will make it to sunrise? Who will die before dawn?
1. Prologue: One Year Ago

**Guess who just realized that Until Dawn has seven main characters? And yes I'll be twisting around the plot of '2015's scariest horror game'.This story will loosely follow Until Dawn, and just like Until Dawn will have ten chapters… Alright more than ten because I'm a sucker for good deserving endings. Get ready for dark twists and thrills around every corner.**

 **Just fair warning, if you have seen Until Dawn you know there's a lot of gore and a lot of sexual innuendos. Hopefully you guys will tell me if it's too much to just be T. Also I highly recommend you participate, in the comments, since this is like an interactive movie more than it is a game. So at the end of every chapter I'll ask you some questions, kind of like... Dr. Hill, hm? If you haven't yet seen Until Dawn, I really loved watching someone else play it, because I'm a big cry baby and playing it with my brothers nearly made me go into shock, so that's my recommendation if you haven't seen it but want to.**

 **Have I talked your ear off yet? Good.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

Reyna knew the party was coming to a close when she heard 'DJ Leo' put on a hot and heavy Beyonce song so that Annabeth and Percy could satisfy each other for the night. Sitting on the couch eating a shit ton of potato chips, was an obscenely stoned Frank. He continued to ask Hazel and Leo questions behind mouthfuls of crispy salt and oil. Piper was trying not to laugh as she ever so effortlessly swallowed the last of her fifth beer. Hylla sat up at the breakfast bar quietly observing the chaos. Octavian microwaving beefaroni behind her.

This was not a set up, this was not supposed to be the closing scene on these young people's peace. Reyna started heading upstairs, fatigue accompanied by a pounding headache from too much liquor. Too much partition hanging in her ears and this night seemed eternal anyway.

"Rey." She heard a sharp whisper as she rounded a corner to enter her bedroom. "Rey, come here." She saw Jason waving her over to a corner of the hallways. Reyna's heart lept in her chest, maybe she'd been drinking too much, maybe she wasn't thinking clearly, but this… He excited her.

"What's up?" She asked.

"I need to ask you something." He said sounding nervous.

Her first thought was, _this could be it_. "I'm all ears."

"Okay, so there's this thing that I've been feeling for a long time now… A really long time now. I get this feeling in my chest and it's warm."

"Like excitement?" She asked, _like when I think of you._

"Yeah, I get really excited."

"Over what?"

"More like uh… who."

 _Oh my god, no way._ "Who is it?"

"Uh, can I just keep that to myself for now?"

"Oh… okay."

"So there's this thing I feel right?"

"Excited." She says a little too anxiously.

"What if excited is the wrong word?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, that uh… that thing when you really really like someone."

"Love?" _This is unreal._

"Maybe, it's too soon to tell, I haven't told her how I feel."

"Jase, are you fucking serious?" Reyna chuckled, "You're a fucking stud monkey, and if you professed your love to someone… they'd be stupid not to say yes."

"I'm not so great…. and what if… well, she can be pretty stupid at times."

 _I'm going to pretend you weren't a turd just now because this is so sweet._ "Tell her Jase, what do you have to lose?"

"Her! She's just, amazing and beautiful. She's nice and so fucking caring."

"You should be honest, Jase. Girls like that, you know why?"

"Why?"

"Cause we're people who enjoy human decency."

"But I'm just…."

"Scared?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Don't be." She chuckled.

"But I am."

"Don't be." She said again, "If she's even half as amazing as you think she is, there's no way she can just say no."

"Thanks, Rey. I owe you one."

 _What?_

"So… you really think she'll say yes?" He asked.

"What are you on? Haven't I been saying that?"

"I guess you're right." He nods, "Okay, how do I look?"

Reyna observed her 'friend'. He was, to her, gorgeous, every muscle, every inch of his body, perfectly sculpted. And the prick knew it too, he knew how handsome he was and he used it to his advantage. He always looked good, and she knew that he was just saying this to tease her. Still she took the opportunity to observe him.

God, he was unreal, perfectly tousled blonde hair, blue eyes that could shine brighter than the sun. He was perfect, fuck it, he was the rarity of a beautiful man. And Reyna couldn't believe he was in love with her.

Sure they'd been best friends since high school, so it was bound to happen. At least, that's what Reyna had been hoping for this whole time. Who else could it have been? Percy was with Annabeth and Hazel was pining after Frank. Hylla was definitely out, and Piper was just a friend.

Everything they'd ever been, every late night call, every coffee run, it was all leading up to this. Sure she was hoping he'd ask her in a better, less dorky way, like for prom last year, or something. But at least it was happening. Reyna was close to giving up on him.

"You look good you asshat." Reyna shoved his shoulder, playfully.

"Thanks, Rey." Jason rolled his eyes before hugging her. "Wish me luck."

 _What?_ "So, who's the lucky girl, or are you finally hitting up Percy?"

"Oh totally Percy." Jason laughed, "You'll just have to wait and see… Do me a favor and head back downstairs?"

 _He's trying to be coy._ "Sure."

Reyna walked back downstairs to see Frank chugging another beer. "Is that really safe, Frankie? You know weed and alcohol don't exactly mix well."

"Ah leave the poor bastard be." Leo said. "He could be whoring it up."

"Yeah, like you last summer at the lake house with what's his nut." Hazel chortled.

"You would like that wouldn't you?" Reyna raised a brow at her.

"So would you huh? You've been dying for some action." Leo said.

"Yeah Rey, sex is great." Frank said, "But you've always said…. What's the word?"

"Bad to the _bone?_ " Leo snorted.

"Come on guys, leave her alone, she hasn't realized she's a lesbian yet. So what? Leave her be." Piper raised her new beer to her friend.

"Piper leave your bisexual ass out of this." Reyna sighed.

"Hey my bisexual ass has shown me the utmost pleasure the human body is capable of." Piper said.

"Yeah and I haven't received any." Hazel chuckled. Reyna continued to stare at Piper as Jason approached her. "Reyna you should try being a lesbian it might work out for you in the long run."

Jason whispered something Piper before the two of them disappeared. Hurt settled in Reyna's chest as she realized just what was going on. How could she have missed… No, how could Jason have never told her how he felt? They were best friends. How could Jason be in love with _her_? Of all people?

"Reyna the lesbian I totally see it." Leo said.

"You only want to see it because you can't make it happen yourself. Pile of shit."

"What does that mean?"

"Come on, you're the kind of asshat who thinks lesbian sex is hotter than straight sex."

"Well, it is first of all. But I'm serious, ever thought about doing the do with girls?" Leo said, the amount of alcohol in his system fuzzing his mind didn't excuse the words he said. Not to Reyna.

"I see it too, if I'm real honest." Hazel chuckled, "Have you ever thought of it before, Rey?"

Percy and Annabeth suddenly emerged from the bathroom, flushed faces and all their clothing askew. Annabeth was covering her mouth with her wrist, as if she actually wanted to hide the fact that she just blew her boyfriend in the bathroom. Like their drunk/high asses even cared about that. "Hey party people, don't wait up." Percy said grabbing Annabeth from behind.

"Oh we won't, trust me." Reyna folded her arms. Feeling more and more terrible as time went on, Reyna's thoughts traveled from, _god I'm so embarrassed_ , to, _how am I going to last the night here? I can't, I have to get out of here_. _But where can I go? Maybe go I should go sleep in the guest house for the night, anything to get away from this._

"Hey, Perce. Do you see Reyna as a lesbian?"

"Totally, did she come out?" Percy asked.

"Nah, but she should." Reyna was gone by the time the others looked up.

"Reyna!" Hylla sighed getting up from her chair.

"Woah, where are you going?" Octavian asked putting down his two am snack to stop his sister from leaving.

"Reyna can't be out there alone, she'll get lost."

"She's just being emotional, give her an hour to cry it out and she'll be back."

"She's your baby sister, and you're just going to let her run away out into the snow?" Hylla demanded.

"Fine, you go get her, tell her she's overreacting." Octavian waved her off. The others sat, watching Hylla run out into the snow. Not long after, everyone else returned to their rooms for the night. The two girls were not quite so lucky.

"Reyna! Reyna!" Hylla raced up to the guest house after her sister. Following the footprints up through the woods when she heard the sounds of heaving sobs. "Reyna, oh thank god." Hylla crouched in front of her sister.

"Go away." Reyna choked on her crying.

"Reyna you cannot just run off like that." Hylla said, "I know they were being jerks but you can't run away."

"I'll just stay in the guest house, Hylla. Don't worry about me."

"Rey-" They heard the sound of something coming towards them that snapped them out of their stupor.

"Hylla, was there anyone following you?" Reyna asked as the two stood up.

"Octavian!?" Hylla called out. When there was no response, she turned back to her sister. "Let's get back to the lodge."

"Hylla!" Reyna grabbed her sister as the lips of a fire grazed over her sister's skin.

Hylla took her sister's hand and bolted off into the woods. The sisters ran blindly, fearing that the worst was very clearly behind them. Just when they thought they were getting somewhere safe, they reached a dead end, marked by an all too perilous cliff.

"Shit!" Hylla put herself between her baby sister and whatever was after them. Silence, utter silence befell the two as a gruesome masked man ran towards them, smoke still emitted off the end of his flame thrower.

Reyna made a fatal mistake, she took a steps back, causing her to slip. She screamed at the sudden weightlessness. Hylla turned just in time to grab her sister, but in the process also lost her balance and plummeted after her.

What happened after that, no one is sure. The friends at the cabin called the police in the morning when the sisters did not return. The eight remaining were escorted off the mountain, their winter break excursion cut short, by a tragedy that would not be solved, until the next year.


	2. Chapter 1: Friendship

**Two things: For those of you that don't know, Until Dawn is horror game that's more like an interactive movie than it is a game, about a group of teenagers on a mountain trying to survive. It's centered around the butterfly effect and your choices in the game decide who lives and who dies by the end of the game. FYI I'll be making all the choices because I'm evil and because in the game you're not supposed to like any of the characters at all, so here, they'll be likable. Which makes hard choices harder.**

 **Also for those of you who enjoy happy Christmas times I'll also be posting a Christmas story next week or the week after, it's a one shot so I'll actually finish it this year. XD**

Annabeth Chase, sat at the base of the mountain, waiting for the cable car to finish slugging down the wire line. Yes, a year later, Annabeth was back up at the very mountain that had claimed the lives of her friends. Why? Because, Octavian had asked her to.

After the disappearance of Reyna and Hylla a year ago, Annabeth hadn't been able to abandon hope. She was the one, out of all her friends who kept in touch with Octavian. especially when he didn't go back to university the following semester. She and Octavian struck up a good friendship, and so when he proposed the idea of a meet up, she couldn't refuse.

She was thumbing through their texts earlier in the week.

 _ **Hey, you're sure you still want to come?**_

 _Of course! You know I'm here for you. We all are._

 _ **I know it's just IDK, I get it if you didn't want to come.**_

 _It'll be fun, I promise._

 _ **I just don't want you to feel like you have to.**_

 _I don't. I want to do this, besides, everyone is really excited to see you again._

 _ **Really?**_

 _Yeah, we're pumped, a whole weekend before we have to go back to our folks? Piper is rejoicing. and Frank might as well have a goddamned bonfire in his pants he's so excited._

"Hey, so there's this great invention." Annabeth rolled her eyes, looking up from her phone to see Frank standing over her tauntingly. "Called, the real world, and there's these wonderful things called people, in this real world."

"Oh my god no way." Annabeth put a hand to her cheek.

"Way, and the best part, omg you want to know the best part?"

"What?"

"There's a real live person in front of you, right now."

"Where, I don't see one?" Annabeth folded her arms over her chest.

"So, how were your finals?" Frank asked taking a seat next to her.

"Killer, and yours?"

"I don't exactly remember, it's all a haze of energy drink OD and crying."

"Right?" Annabeth nodded with a laugh. "And how's Hazel?"

"Uh… Oh...Well... Uh… I don't know, I was texting her last night, she and Piper were coming up together."

"Ah." Annabeth nodded.

"So… This is weird right?" Frank asked.

"What is?"

"Being… here. Last year was pretty rough, huh?"

"Yeah, you're telling me. I feel awful."

"I don't even remember it honestly." He admitted to her.

"Yeah well, I do. We were being idiots who kept pushing her until she broke down. And now god knows where they ended up."

"Hey, from what Leo told me it's his fault." Frank tried to justify.

"And I'm sure he's just saying that to make us feel better." Annabeth said as the cable car finally came to a stop. "I guess I just wish I knew what happened to them. You know. For closure." She said as the two of them got in the cable car and set it moving back up the mountain.

"I don't think we'll ever know for sure."

"You mean, not until the investigation is closed. Right?" Annabeth asked.

"Dude, you know how much I want them to find even the smallest hint about what happened to them. but it's not going to happen. The police have given up and you know it."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I'm stupid and I understand stupid."

Annabeth snorted at that one. "Wow, so even stupids can get into university, these days?"

"Well, yeah. Might I refer you to every twenty first century president we've ever had."

"Fair point." She chuckled. "Hey, so Hazel's up here this weekend huh?"

"Haha, very funny. I'm not going to pull a Jason and ask out the love of my life in a drunken stupor."

"First of all, Jason wasn't that drunk because both he and, by some miracle, Piper remember that night vividly. Second… Love of your life?"

"Uh… I mean, Jason talks about Piper like she's a dream come true-"

"But do you think Hazel's the love of your life?" She pressed him.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." His face flushed.

"Uhuh, sure." Annabeth nodded.

"Please don't tell her."

"Oh, I won't. I want you to tell her."

"I'm just not ready for that."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, I'm just not ready."

At the top of the slope Piper sat waiting to guide the newcomers up to the lodge. She was, of course, waiting for her boyfriend to get there. He was running late, he had a final that morning so he was just barely getting a ride over to the mountain. She was going to wait for him and greet the others in the process.

She saw the cable car crawl its way back up the line, she guessed that it was Annabeth, not sure when Frank was arriving. She stood at the ready to let them out of the car as soon as it reached her.

The cable car came to a creaking halt and Piper opened the doors for the two.

"Hey kids." She smiled at the pair. "Good to see you made it."

"Look Annabeth, a wild Native approaches! Careful she might just scalp your white ass."

Piper rolled her eyes at Frank, "Always the race card. But don't worry I'll pillage your town, rape, and kidnap your whole family while I'm at it, later." She hugged Frank in greeting.

"I'd make a comment, but my milky white ass has no place playing the race card." Annabeth chuckled pulling Piper into a tight hug.

"Percy never holds back, don't worry about it, you're in good company." Piper said pulling away from the girl.

"What are you doing down here all by your little self then?" Frank asked.

"I'm the Walmart greeter." She rolled her eyes. "Octavian wanted me to inform you that he's in the process of unlocking the lodge and heating it up for us. It'll be cold as shit in there. Oh and your boyfriends are up there."

"Thank god. I didn't think he'd get here by himself. The little loser." Annabeth chuckled.

'"You guys go on up. I'll be there asap."

"Sure, as soon as you fuck your boyfriend brainless in the snow." Frank smirked.

"You wish, nah honey, when I fuck him this trip I want it to be with all eight inches in tact." Piper said devilishly.

"Eight inches sounds painful." Annabeth cringed.

"Well compared to Percy's four-"

"Oh shut it you hoe!" Annabeth laughed, shoving Piper's head away.

"Will Hazel be seeing the family jewels this trip Frank?" Piper asked laughing.

"Let's get going now, yeah!?" Frank's face burned scarlet as he picked up his bag, heading up the hill.

"God, this trip is going to be amazing." Annabeth chuckled following Frank up the rest of the way.

Frank and Annabeth kept up their banter as they climbed the mountain.

"Are you going to ski this year?" Frank asked.

"Fuck no." She snorted.

"Why be up here if you're not going to use the lodge for skiing?"

"Atmosphere."

"For sex?"

"For a ton of sex." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Seriously! What are you going to do?"

"Party, sex, and snow angels." She said. "Outdoors aren't exactly my thing."

"Jason and I are so going snowboarding."

"And you're going to finally tell Hazel how you feel about her."

"... Maybe."

"Hey!" The two noticed a pair of devilish looking boys at the top of the pathway. Percy walked down to Annabeth, taking her up in his arms, kissing her.

"Hey, yourself." She said before kissing him again.

"Cootie alert!" Leo ran up behind Frank and covered his eyes.

"Yo dude, not cool, not cool!" Frank said toppling over.

"Ah, I am slain!" Leo shouted as Frank crushed him.

"Come on you two get up and at'em, you can have your romantic night looking at the stars after we've settled in." Annabeth said leaning her head on Percy's chest. Percy stood beside her snickering.

"Accidental sex just happened." He snorted. "Frank just got his anal virginity taken."

"Percy do you ever stop to think before you speak?" Frank asked, turning to help Leo stand up.

"Rarely, it's not as fun as just saying stuff."

"Why do you date him?" Leo asked.

"I don't know, sex?"

"I'm good at sex." Percy agreed, smiling down at her before kissing her again.

"Okay, as much as I'm enjoying this, let's not." Leo turned and lead the group up the trail.

"Yikes, someone's in a sour mood." Annabeth said.

"I'm not, there's just this baller christmas tree in the lodge and I want to be there when Octavian gets the place back up and running. I mean that thing has to be twelve feet at least."

"Don't they cut one down every year from around this area?" Frank asked.

"Yup, and every year it's just as amazing."

"Race you to the top!" Percy said sprinting ahead. Annabeth followed, her face flushed with laughter. Leo and Frank took up the rear, shoving one another playfully. The gang reached the lodge quickly this way, finally spotting a bored looking Hazel, sat on the stairs to the 's throat clenched when he saw her there, snow falling ever so effortlessly into her curly hair. Her eyes glinting gold, as she smirked at the approaching group. She stood up, brushing the snow off her pants.

"You made it!" She jumped up and ran to the others, hugging Annabeth's neck and blushing when she saw Frank. "I was worried, neither of you called."

"The cell reception is shit up here, you know." Annabeth laughed.

"True enough." Hazel agreed, "Octavian said the cold froze the doors shut, he broke in through the basement and is trying to fix up the heat situation."

"Did you come up here with him?" Frank asked.

"Octavian? No. I came up with Jason, he found out he was exempt from his final so he came up early to surprise Piper." Hazel smiled, "He went back down to go see her."

Jason was just reaching the cable car station, where he saw Piper sitting by the car, waiting for it to return back to the dock. He watched her for a moment, studying her features as she read through the book in her hands. He wanted to kiss her right there, but decided against it. Rather, he scooped up a handful of snow, packing it into a ball and carefully aimed.

Releasing the snowball he watched it turn to powder as it collided with her head.

"What the f-... Jason! What are you doing here?" She asked standing up, walking to the railing between the station and the snow.

"I got out early and what do you know here I am." He held his arms out to present himself as he walked up to meet her.

"Here you are, and you chose to tease me instead of being romantic because?"

"Because I thought you wanted me a bit sexier, more rugged. You know, the usual."

"Oh the usual huh?" She gave a low chuckle, sending a warm sensation through his body. "How so?"

"Well, we can start off like this." He leaned in to kiss her, only to be ambushed in the face with a snowball.

"Oops!" Piper laughed and attempted to run away, but Jason quickly tugged on her hand spinning her back into his arms.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Oh my god, help, he's got me!" Piper laughed as Jason attacked her neck with kisses. He lifted her up over the railing and she flailed in his arms. "Stop it, put me down!"

"What do you say?" He asked.

"Please?" He set her down gently, in retaliation she turned and shoved him. "Not cool."

"I thought you liked it when I assert my dominance." He said putting his hands on her hips.

"I do, but I only like it in bed. I wear the pants, baby, can't let people know I like feeling vulnerable."

"Is that what it is? Because I can arrange for a change in pace." He leaned down to kiss her again.

She moaned into his lips, "Babe, in the snow? Really?"

"Anywhere with you." He said.

"Jesus you make me think dirty."

"Think?" He laughed.

"Alright you make me wet, which is very bad considering it's like below zero up on this freaking mountain."

"Is it bad?"

"Well, I'm not exactly down for licking and or sticking a dick-sicle inside of my body."

"Ah, fair point my lady."

"But if you wait until we get a little more warm."

"What am I in for?" He asked lowly.

"That's for you to discover." She pulled back, "Once we get back to the lodge."

"You know, Octavian told me there's a guest house up here that we're free to use."

"Really?" She asked, taking his hand.

"Really, tonight it's going to be fireplaces, bearskin rugs, and an absolute sex den."

"A sex den? Damn you really want this to be special huh?"

"Oh yeah. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 2: Darkness

**Hey y'all! I've been meaning to post this sooner but I had finals so this got put on the back burner. But here it is! If you have questions please send them to me! If you wanna know who's which characters (Loosely) from the game send me a message or a comment!**

Jason and Piper soon joined the group of their friends who were huddled outside of the lodge, waiting for Octavian to open the front door. Sure enough the door swung open dramatically revealing Octavian, the eternal mischievous glint in his eye shining bright.

"Welcome to the annual winter getaway, party people!" He held his arms up as the others filed inside the house. It was still cold inside, but at least there was no wind to chill them further.

"Thank god, my ass is fucking frozen!" Annabeth laughed.

"I can fix that." Percy wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Percy, Annabeth's a class act, she's not an anal kind of girl." Piper teased.

"She's a freak in bed and you of all people know that." Percy snorted shoving Piper.

"I'm going to take a bath, is the hot water working?" Annabeth asked looking at Octavian.

"Can I come with?" Percy asked.

"Yes the water heater should be fine." Octavian nodded.

"Great thanks."

"So can I come or not?" Percy asked again.

"Well, think about making a trip to my room afterwards then we'll talk." She said kissing him as passionately as one kiss could be before pulling away. She left him leaned forward waiting for more kisses, as she retreated upstairs.

"Hey no babies were made in the duration of this trip! We'll have none of that." Leo said.

"Yeah dude. We don't need to be going to the hospital because your dick got frozen inside of your girlfriend." Frank snorted.

"That's physically not possible." Piper said, "I'm like, ninety percent sure that can't happen."

"I'm sure it can and has happened." Leo dismissed her.

"Why don't you go help her into the bath, hoe?" Frank asked Percy.

He shrugged, "She said later."

"Goddamn gentleman of the year award goes to." Leo rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Piper and Jason. Sitting on the couch snuggling, inhaling each other's tongues like it was a necessary life force.

"Jesus, have you no decency?" Frank asked dramatically averting his eyes.

"Yeah god, kissing? You're so gross!" Leo laughed.

Piper lifted her middle finger continuing to kiss her boyfriend.

"Okay seriously, stop." Hazel shut her eyes and turned away from them.

"Why should we?" Jason turned to look at them, Piper however kept kissing his jaw.

"Because that's porn." Percy said.

"It's sex." Jason said letting his hands fall off of her body.

"God talk about cock blocked." Piper groaned, but everyone could tell she was humored by the way she smirked as she stood up. "My incredibly attractive, ivy league attending boyfriend hasn't had sex with me since November when classes got hard as shit, and guess what wasn't hard?" Leo held back a snicker, but busted out laughing at the last phrase. "So yes, sue me for wanting to get it on." She stood right under Frank's nose, well chin, Piper never really was the tallest of the gang. Even tiny little Hazel had surpassed her in height.

"Nah, I'll pass, shorty." Frank chuckled ruffling her hair.

"I won't!" Leo raised his hand as Jason stood up from the couch.

"Sorry for the show, Octavian, we promise to behave." Jason apologized as his girlfriend stuck her tongue out at Leo.

"Hey, like I always say. Party like a pornstar or it's not worth shit." He chuckled.

"And you're instantly disgusting me again." Hazel wrinkled her nose playfully at him, While Percy rested an elbow on her shoulder.

"Good! Maybe this year we'll corrupt you!" Percy laughed.

"Leo I swear to god!" Piper was trying to claw at him, but he was holding her forehead.

He shoved her back lightly. "You're so cute when you look like a deranged elf."

"Appreciate being short, Piper. You know how much Annabeth complains about not being able to wear heels." Hazel folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh believe me, I appreciate being short very much." She said walking over to her boyfriend and started showing them just how short the way down to his-

"Alright! Alright! We get the point!" Octavian looked away.

"Now who's the tease?" Jason asked with a smile as Piper retracted.

She shrugged one shoulder as Jason wrapped an arm around her waist. Frank coughed awkwardly, "Well, now what?"

"Piper and Jason are gonna bone off screen." Percy said.

"Yeah guys, we'll see you in the morning." Piper winked as Jason took her hand and led the way out of the cabin.

"Hey wait!" Octavian called out just before they opened the door. He threw an unopened box of condoms at them. "Go nuts you crazy porn stars."

"We will!" Piper announced lustfully as Jason caught the box with ease.

"Thanks man. Night guys!" And the couple left the lodge.

"God, I can't believe we're actually fucking doing this." Piper said as soon as they were on the path up the mountain.

"What?" Jason chuckled, "Going on a romantic pre-Christmas walk through the woods before making love in a woodsy cabin?"

"Stole the words right out of my mouth." She said snuggling in deeper to his arm. Although, she stopped abruptly and let go of his arm.

"What? What is it Pipes?" Jason asked looking at her with concern. She didn't say a word as she walked to the line of trees where police caution tape was still wrapped firmly around two trees. "Oh my god."

"Reyna… and Hylla." Piper's voice caught in her throat.

"Shh, it's okay." Jason offered a bit of comfort to her.

"I didn't even know they had left… I didn't get to say goodbye. Or anything really."

"Hey, it's not your fault they went missing." He told her.

"But… I was their friend."

"Reyna was my best friend. I wish I knew what happened to them." He took her hand and led her away from the reminder of their missing friends. "You know it was weird, I had talked to her right before anything had happened. She seemed totally fine."

"I guess we'll never know what happened…"

"Don't say that. I'm sure something will show up. Hylla and Reyna are the strongest people I know."

"Let's stop talking about this." Piper chuckled, deciding that the present was much more important than the past. "Let's take that shortcut through the mines, huh?" The group of friends had found the mines many years ago, but the whole shaft itself was deep and maze like. None of them had ventured farther than the main passage, which was a straight shot to the guest cabin.

"Feeling adventurous are we?" Jason chuckled as she pulled at his hand.

"Absolutely. I like a little adrenaline with my sexual arousal." She smiled at him, "Or in this case, sexual awakening."

"Hey, I'm sorry that college is kicking my ass." He said as they reached the mine opening.

"Says, Mr. 4.0." She said before jumping down into the mine.

"My 4.0 was not only hard earned but I also really need it for my scholarship." He said jumping down after her.  
"The scholarship you only use to piss off your dad."

"Uhuh. That one." He took her hand as they leisurely strolled through the mine.

"So, you're just going to keep doing this until we graduate then?"

"Well, hopefully, no. I plan on making a lot of time for you." He said swinging their hands as they passed mining wagons and tunnels that led to god only knows where. Their group of friends had never been brave enough to explore deep into the mines.

"Oh yeah?" She asked when they heard what sounded like a chord snapping and the wheels of a wagon begun spinning. "What was that?"

"I don't know..." Jason said. "These mines are pretty old, maybe something broke."

"I don't think stuff like that just happens, Jason."

"Do you want to go back?"

"No, let's just hurry."

"You scared?"

"In your dreams." She chuckled pressing ahead. Jason however continued to stand still peering deeper into one of the open caverns. "Jason, come on."

"There's something over there." He said.

"Jason, don't you dare fuck with me now. Let's go." Piper walked over to grab his arm, but he jumped back, shouting the moment she did. Piper fell down and screamed as he did this. Only to be met with, Jason's figure, doubled over laughing.

"Your face!" He laughed.

"You piece of mother fucking shit!" Piper growled standing up to punch his arm. He grabbed at her before she could swing and kissed her lips. "Get off of me!" She said angrily.

"I was only playing, Pipes."

"Don't you ever do that to me again." She said sharply.

"Promise." He said, "How can I make it up to you?" His voice was low and husky.

"You'll be lucky if I give you anything." She said with a pout.

"Come on, Pipes, it was a joke."

"Yeah well… Fuck you." She said, "Can we just get out of here now? Please?"

"Okay… I'm sorry."

"You better be." Piper folded her arms over her chest.

"You know, you're-"

"If you say I'm sexy when I'm pissed off I will chop your balls off."

"But you are."

"Jason, my heart is racing right now."

"I thought you liked adrenaline with your sex drive."

She started to climb her way out of the mine, "Shut up."

"It'd be such a waste to not use all of these condoms anyway."

"That's what you chose as your argument?" She laughed as she helped him back up to the outside.

"Is it working?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Then what will?" He asked.

"You know what I like don't you? My big strong, boyfriend should know exactly what gets me hot."

Suddenly he took her wrist and pinned her to a nearby tree, his face so close to her's their visible breath spread across their faces. He leaned forward, kissing her roughly.

"God, you really are horny." Piper smirked when he pulled away.

"Fuck yeah. I'm not ashamed. You're not the only one who hasn't gotten any in a month."

"I told you study dates weren't the same without me… My hands, my mouth on your-"

"God." Jason sighed, "Can we get to this fucking cabin already, I'm about one more sentence of dirty talk close to ripping your clothes off right here, right now."

"Well, if you would get off of me, I'll race you there." Her eyes glinted with the challenge.

"You're on." The two rushed forward in a sprint towards the cabin and arrived in a huff. Jason opened the door to the cabin, and turned on the light switch, which also, thankfully turned on the heater. As he huffed and puffed from the run, he took a seat on the couch. Night had fallen by then, so the sudden burst of light had nearly blinded him.

Piper however didn't seem winded at all, easily closing the door behind her. Walking over to Jason and whispering in his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now, what was that kinky little thing you were fantasizing about?"

* * *

Hazel pouted as she stared into the fire, the boys, Octavian, Percy, Leo, and Frank were chatting animatedly about some YouTube gamer that had just completed some game. She wasn't paying attention. Well, she was, just not to the conversation, she was obviously, yet not too obviously staring at Frank. She wondered why he wasn't paying attention to her. Both Annabeth and Piper said he liked her, so why hadn't he said it? They were college kids after all, weren't crushes for high schoolers?

Finally, realizing Annabeth wasn't going to come to her rescue, she sighed. "I'm bored."

Frank looked at her, an excited spark in his eye, gleaming. However, Leo spoke up, "Well what do you want to do then?"

"I don't know. Something." She shrugged.

"Why don't I, go find something to do… For all of us." Frank held out the I a little too long, but it made Hazel chuckle.

"Would you?"

"Of course. I'll be right back." He stood up and headed down to the basement in search of a game.

"God you're disgusting." Octavian chuckled.

"What?" Hazel asked innocently.

"Would you?" Leo said in a voice up half an octave before fluttering his eyelashes.

"Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do." Hazel said nonchalantly.

"You like him?" Percy asked.

"Um, duh." Hazel smirked.

"Then tell him." Octavian said obviously.

"No way, it's the boy's job to ask out the girls not the other way around." Hazel said.

"So old fashioned." Leo folded her arms.

"Yes, I am, what's your fucking point?" Hazel asked him.

"No point, just a dull edge!" Percy said, the others cackled at the obvious use of an inside joke.

"Hey, look what I found." Frank held up a ouija board as he emerged from the basement.

"Aye dios mio!" Leo shouted as he recognized the board.

"Wicked." Hazel said walking up and taking the board out of Frank's hand. "My mom has one of these, only her's is like, twenty times more awesome. Cause you know, psychic and all… I haven't played with one of these in ages." Frank beamed with pride as he watched Hazel's face light up.

"No way are we playing with that thing!" Leo said, "Burn it, burn it now."

"Hey now, it could be fun." Octavian said.

"I am not staying in a house where we summon demons and ghosts. That kind of shit needs to stay in the other world."

"Come on Leo, you can't believe that stuff is real." Hazel laughed.

"Yeah, besides, ouija boards started in China, and I'm chinese, what could go wrong?"

"No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. We are not doing this no."

"Oh come on." Hazel chuckled.

"Hey, why don't Leo and I give you an hour and when we come back, I'll have hot sex with my girlfriend and you guys can get high. Deal?"

"Deal." Hazel agreed.

"It's your funerals." Leo said bundling back up to head out into the snow.

"Where you gonna go?"

"Back to the cable car, because FUCK NO! Fuck that shit. That shit is fucking messed up."

"By guys, have fun." Percy laughed, yanking Leo out the door.

"You didn't have to come with me man. I'll be fine." Leo said as they began their journey.

"I'm not exactly down for letting anyone go out alone… Not after last year."

"Oh… Yeah, that."

"Let's not talk about that right now. Let's talk about us." Leo took Percy's hand and they instantly fell into their joking romantic role play. "Because I love you and I miss you."

"Oh, I miss you too boo." Percy said looking at him with a deceivingly romantic gaze.

The two held hands talking about college and whatnot until they reached the cable car station, where the found the door slightly ajar. They looked between each other and quickly opened the door the rest of the way. The office was in complete disarray, papers scattered, the floor and loose pens littering the floor... and the only light available was the overhead emergency lighting. Most notably for Leo there was a security TV, he'd never noticed before, playing on the desk, showing the lodge. Flashing from Frank and Hazel in the basement to Annabeth in the bath tub… and a man right behind her.

"Leo, dude, the cable car key's not here." Percy said nervously.

"And someone's been spying on us." Leo turned around, "We have to get back."

"Good plan." Percy nodded, just as they were leaving, however, the cable car door opened and the two decided to check it out. Slowly, they crept around the corner, to see into the car.

"Holy fuck!" Percy screamed.

"Fuck this! Fuck this!" Leo shouted. The two stumbled over each other before sprinting back towards the lodge. Leaving in their wake, the decapitated head of a pig, and a note in its blood, which read; Welcome Back.


	4. Chapter 3: Haunted

Hazel, Frank, and Octavian gathered around the ouija board, setting up three chairs around the breakfast table.

"So, Miss. Witch, how does this thing work?" Octavian asked sitting down.

Frank was reading the instructions and read aloud, "To communicate with the spirit world, you must free your mind from all preconceptions, drop all inhibitions and give yourself over entirely to the other world."

"That's a load of bullshit." Hazel chuckled. "What you really do, is this. Focus on the unanswered questions you have that you are seeking answers for. You'll know the spirits are speaking to you by their answers." She looked at the board thoughtfully, "We need a speaker, the one who'll communicate with the spirits."

"I vote you girl." Octavian said quickly, "No way am I getting messed up in some paranormal shit. I've already got enough going on."

The other two felt a sharp pang of guilt as he spoke. They felt so terrible for the memories, or the lack thereof, from that night one year ago.

"Maybe… We could talk to-"

"Let's just get started." Hazel cut Frank off before he could even suggest they contact either of Octavian's sisters. That thought would do nothing but suggest that the girls were dead and none of them could deal with that. "Is there anyone in this room with us?"

The three of them placed one finger on the planchette and waited half a second before it started gliding across the board.

"Ooo, I'm so scared." Frank rolled his eyes but Hazel focused on the word being spelled out. "Octavian stop it."

"I'm not doing anything." Octavian said in awe.

"H-E-L-P…" Hazel read outloud, "Help. Who needs our help?"

"Seriously cut that shit out right now." Frank said as the pointer began to spell out another word.

"S-I-"

"I told you I'm not doing anything, it's Hazel!" Octavian said defensively.

"S-T-E-"

"Sister." Frank said.

"Okay this isn't funny Hazel." Octavian snarled.

"I'm not doing anything, I swear." Hazel said, beginning to think that this wasn't a game.

"Who's sister then? Huh? You guys are fucking with me!" Octavian said frantically.

"Octavian… Maybe it's-"

"No, don't you fucking go there, Frank." Octavian said, "Hazel ask it something else."

"Who am I speaking to? Is it Reyna?"

Octavian gave her a dirty look before the piece started moving again, this time sliding to the YES, marked on the board.

"What the fuck?" Frank muttered under his breath.

"Octavian-"

"Ask her what happened." Tears brimmed in his eyes as he spoke, "Ask my baby sister what happened to her, Hazel."

Hazel nodded, shifting an uneasy glance to Frank. "Reyna, what happened to you?"

Quicker than ever the word, betrayed, was spelled out on the board.

"Oh my god." Hazel choked on her words.

"It's still going." Frank said.

"Killed." Octavian said, "Who, killed my sister?"

"Reyna, who killed you? How did you die?" Hazel asked.

"B-A-S-E-M-E-N-T?" Octavian read aloud.

"L-I-B-R-A-R-Y." Frank read out.

"What are you saying?" Hazel asked in general, not to Reyna and not to Frank or Octavian, but she received an answer.

"P-R-O-O-F." Frank said realizing what this all meant, "There's proof in the basement and the library of what happened to her."

"Guys stop this right fucking now!" Octavian slammed on the table, "I know you're trying to give me closure or something, but it's not working so stop trying."

"Octavian, I didn't do that."

"Yeah, right, what a load of bullshit." Octavian scoff, "You know what? Fuck it I'm out of here." Octavian stormed out of the room.

"Octavian, wait-"

"Let him go, Hazel. Give him some space."

"I wasn't faking any of that, Frank. It just happened."

"I know… But what are we supposed to do?"

"I have an idea." Hazel said, "Help Reyna."

"You're not serious, that was just… just a fluke."

"She needs our help. Frank. I've seen my mom help dozens of people before. Maybe it's my turn to step up my game."

"You're serious?"

"Completely, you in?"

Frank sighed, "Well, I always did want to be a ghostbuster."

* * *

Back in the cabin Piper stood behind the couch staring at Jason as he gather himself from the run.

"Which kinky little thing?" He asked standing up to face her.

"Hold it bud, let's get a fire going so I don't freeze my ass off when you get me naked."

"Sounds like a plan." He leaned forward and kissed her lips briefly, only because she pulled away.

"Fire first." She said walking over to the fireplace and tossing some logs into the mouth of the hearth. Jason picked up a matchbox from the counter, lit one up, and tossed it into light the fire. Instantly the room felt warmer and brighter.

"Better, my sweet?" Jason asked her in a low whisper, rocking her hips with his hands.

"Much better." She agreed, "You got the condoms ready?"

"Yes ma'am." He chuckled spinning her around to face him. "God you're beautiful."

"You're pretty beautiful yourself." She teased before hungrily taking him, kissing his lips like they were the only thing she needed to live. He walked her to the couch, and straddled her, leaving passionate kisses all over her face. He slipped off her jacket with ease, and took in the world's eighth wonder (Make that eighth and nineth), her breasts in a sweater. Goddamn did she look gorgeous.

Just as she'd thrown his jacket across the room, they heard a loud crash come from the bedroom. Piper gasped and sat up immediately.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Calm down, babe, I'm sure it was… something explainable." He said looking around the cabin.

"Should we go check it out?"

"Yeah, yeah let's go." Gripping each other's hands they walked hesitantly passed the back entrance to the cabin and into the bedroom. Inside they found a shattered window, and on the floor, was Piper's phone.

"What the fuck?" Jason asked leaning down to pick it up for her.

"I must have lost it in the mine?" Piper asked unsure.

"But who-"

Piper suddenly laughed. "It must have been Leo being an idiot."

"Are you fucking serious?" Jason asked lowly.

"Our best friend's an asshole baby, didn't you know?" Piper chuckled. Jason pushed past Piper and stormed out to the front of the cabin.

"Hey, asswipe! I know you're out there, and I know you're trying to ruin mine and Piper's first night together in a long ass time! And I'm over your bullshit! Just leave us alone, alright?! We'll come and get high or whatever the fuck it is you want tomorrow! But today I'm going to fuck the absolute brains out of my girlfriend, and it's going to be hot as fuck! So you can watch if you want! But I haven't been deprived of sex for a month and walked all this way just so you could fucking ruin it!"

Jason turned around and slammed the door behind him, "Give me a goddamn break."

That's when he noticed the eerie silence of the cabin, the fire had gone out, probably because the back door was broke off its hinges. And Piper was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Where should we go first?" Frank asked Hazel and patiently waited for her response.

"The library, it's closest and it's going to be the easiest to navigate." Hazel said looking through some drawers until she found a flashlight.

"Alright, let's go." Frank led the way out of the kitchen to the library and in no time at all they were in what was more like a small study than a library.

"Who'd have thought it." Frank muttered walking up to the desk and searching for clues.

Hazel however, took to the bookcase, thumbing through books and then sitting them back in their place. She found a book that she assumed would give her a clue. A big book called the Native History of Blackwood Mountain. However, as she reached to pull the book down it did not budge, she tried wiggling it around in its place and continued to find it eerily stuck.

"Frank, could you help me out with this?" Hazel asked pointing at the book. "Tell me I'm just being a weakling."

"Sure thing." Frank chuckled, attempting to grab the book, but he too found it stuck in place. "Huh… Maybe-" Frank pushed the book in and a small click was heard by the two teenagers.

"What was…" Hazel stopped when she noticed the bookshelf slowly opening to reveal a secret entrance.

"Woah, Frank?" Hazel clutched Frank's arm as the bookcase came to a halt. "Holy shit, holy shit, what is this? Some kind of prank?"

"Calm down Hazel, it's okay, I mean… Who knows why this is here?"

"I don't know and I don't care, let's just go back upstairs now, please, Frank."

"Hey, we've come this far, maybe we can figure out what happened to Reyna and Hylla, just stay calm."

"Okay, you go first then." Hazel said releasing her hold on Frank's arm.

"Okay, here I go." He nodded heading into the cellar. The room was dark and dusty but when Hazel shone the flashlight onto the desk, something caught Frank's eye. He picked up a picture of Reyna and Hylla on it. "This doesn't make any sense."

"Let me see." Hazel took the photo and flipped it over, on the back, scrawled in messy ink read; I will take them and bleed them like pigs. I'll finally have my revenge.

"What the fucking fuck!?" Hazel gasped throwing the picture back down.

"No… No, no, no." Frank muttered.

"Frank what is this?"

"I don't know, Hazel. Obviously someone was after them… and now they're after us."

"This is insane Frank." Hazel said, "What do we do now?"

"We keep looking, maybe… Maybe Reyna's trying to help us."

"I hope you're right." Hazel nodded.

"I saw this wanted poster down at the cable car station, some old worker who got fired, but never left." Frank shook his head.

"Maybe we should look for Octavian…"

"Yeah, good plan." Frank nodded following Hazel out of the room.

"What the-" Hazel stopped and ripped a letter off of the wall nearby the exit.

"What is it? What does it say?"

"It's a letter to Octavian's mom, some guy can't be taken off this land because… Oh my god, this is him isn't it?" Hazel handed Frank the letter. He read through the text, a general apology that nothing could be done to remove a worker who was wreaking minor havoc on the property. And her concerns about him always watching the little girls were merely, not a good enough reason to convict him.

"Shit, Frank." Hazel breathed out.

He turned the letter around to see written in the same handwriting as the note on the picture. Those little girls are mine now.

"Let's go, Hazel, we have to find Octavian now." Frank said urgently. Nodding Hazel lead the way towards the main living room when they both heard a scream, one that sounded vaguely like Octavian's coming from the formal living room.

Hazel ran off in front of Frank, "Octavian!" She shouted, throwing the door open, only to have it close immediately behind her.

"Hazel!" Frank shouted, trying to open the door. He heard her scream from behind the door and then, abrupt silence. "Hazel! Hazel are you okay!? Hazel!"

Frank took a step back and kicked the door so that it flew open. "Hazel!" He shouted again when he saw her unconscious on the floor.

"Hazel!" Just as he was about to run toward her he felt one hand elcose his neck, and a swift hard punch to his forehead left him unconscious.

* * *

Just upstairs, oblivious to all of the commotion occurring beneath her, was Annabeth, listening to music while she soaked. She heard a vague shout over her music and promptly turned to look around. She saw nothing… well nothing in the sense that there was an absence of something.

"Fucking hell." She sighed, taking her earbuds out and draining the tub. She walked over to where her clothes had been and began to search for them. "Alright assholes, I know that you're being jerks, you can stop with this whole business!" She called out. She grabbed a towel nearby and wrapped it around her body.

"I admit it, you got me! Percy, I promise, the moment you give me my clothes back, we'll have some mind blowing sex! Just give me my clothes back!" But no response came to her shouting. "Percy!? This isn't funny, you prick!"

She walked out of the bathroom and scurried into her claimed bedroom, however, there were no suitcases in the room only an arrow pointing her toward the closet. Curiosity suddenly stronger than ever, she padded lightly over to the double doors. When she opened the doors she found a note.

I've taken your friends, little girl, and they'll be dead by morning, unless you do everything I say. Go down to the basement, I've got your clothes, I'll be waiting for you.

"This is a joke right?" She shivered in her towel. "Percy!? If this is some stupid roleplaying trick you're playing on me… You are so fucking dead… Goddamn it."

Annabeth stood in the bedroom, dripping wet, wondering if she dared follow this note. For a heartbeat she considered not doing anything at all, but then she heard something from outside her window. Slowly she walked over to the glass, and squinted out into the darkness, she saw a man in a mask opening up the cellar door, and just as he was about to disappear downstairs. He paused, looked right up at her and gave a small cocky wave. Just as he did this the lights in the lodge blew out, coincidence or not, Annabeth yelped as she fell back on her bed.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" She muttered before resolving to stand up and head down into the basement.

This wasn't a game, this wasn't a prank. Something terrible had happened, and Annabeth was going to be the one to fix it.


	5. Chapter 4: Loyalty

**Merry Holidays friends! I hope you all have had a magical year, here's to us, to the future and to celebrating love today!**

"Pipes!" Jason called out into the darkness surrounding the guesthouse, he heard no reply. "Piper! This isn't funny!" Jason went back inside and grabbed the shotgun hanging up off the wall. He decided he'd better be safe than sorry as he rushed out into the snow. "I'm coming Pipes!" He called looking at the snow and following the path that had been clearly made recently. Whatever had Piper, it was dragging her somewhere, and Jason was sure as hell going to find it. He was going to blast its fucking brains out the first chance he got.

"Piper! Can you hear me!?" There was no response, but he persisted, he ran further into the storm. He soon came upon a stream, which he quickly jumped across, slipping and almost tumbling into the river as he went.

Swiftly cutting through the trees he found a small cliff which he did not hesitate to slide down in order to continue pursuing Piper and whatever it was that attacked her. Jason hadn't even heard the door break how was it fucking possible that something or someone had gotten in? How did this happen?

"Piper!" He called out and just as he turned his head, he saw the figure of a man, something strapped to his back, receding deeper into the forest. Jason stood in shock for a second, that guy… He must have taken Piper, maybe he did something to her and he- his thoughts stopped and he sprinted after the man, as he pursued, he noticed the guy had what looked to be, two wolves following behind him. He didn't have time to ask questions, just time to move through the thick green forest.

Jason continued to chase, hot on his trail until he saw a large building come into view. The man and his wolves quickly vanished from sight as Jason observed the building. It looked like some kind of large hospital… What was this?

Jason walked to what he realized was the edge of a cliff and saw the man climbing down the stairs. Without a moment to spare, Jason aimed the gun at him. If this man took Piper he was going to do whatever it took to get her back, but as soon as he fired the gun, nothing happened. The gun was out of ammo.

"Oh fuck me." Jason grunted angrily, tossing the shot gun to the side as the man and his wolves disappeared inside of the weird building.

Jason stood for a moment, contemplating what he should do. If he should go back to the lodge or follow this strange guy. The moment he gave it any thought at all, his brain forced him to ask the obvious question; was Piper still alive? She very well could have been and that spurred his feet into motion. He hurried down the steps built into the nearby cliffside.

Jason didn't have time to wonder what this was, although the thoughts passed briefly in his mind. Where was he? How would he get back when he found Piper? What if she was hurt? How was he going to help her if he didn't know where they were? Would the others come looking for them? Where did this come from anyway? Had this whole thing been on the mountain every year he'd come here without his noticing? What else was hidden in the mountains?

Suddenly as he reached the end of the staircase he walked up to the building. Slowly he observed the architecture and as his mind processed it, he realized this wasn't just any ordinary building, no. This was a hospital of some kind… it had to be.

He approached the building and read the plaque above the door; Welcome to Blackwood Mountain Sanatorium Enjoy Your Stay With Us.

* * *

Slowly and painfully, Frank raised his body up on unsteady hands. His head burned with pain, his eyes pulsing in his skull as he tried to remember what the hell had happened. Where was he?

The lodge… He recalled it all slowly, the seance, the library, Hazel.

"Hazel." He whispered sharply, looking around frantically, though he was forced to close his eyes, the room was spinning with his violent headache. "Hazel!?" He called out.

"Hazel!" He stood up and attempted a run, his vision fading in and out as he did so. He grabbed a counter top and let the world around him settle as he recollected his thoughts. What did he remember? A masked man, Hazel on the floor behind him. Frank remembered the wanted sign he'd found, the note he'd found behind Reyna and Hylla's picture.

Hazel was in trouble, they all were. But Hazel had been taken by him. Frank looked at the ground, confused by the darkness, and feeling his heart clench when his readjusted eyesight noticed, Hazel was missing from the last image he had in his mind.

He ran to the door, only to find it locked. "Oh come on!" He growled.

For a second, he thought about calling to Annabeth for help, maybe since this door was locked, with the intention of keeping him and Hazel in. He reasoned that Annabeth might still be safe. Plus, Hazel was definitely the one in immediate danger. She needed his help, and Frank had to figure something out before that madman came back.

His hesitation didn't last long before he was running out the backdoor. "Hazel!? Hazel!?" He looked out into the snowstorm, realizing that Hazel had had a flashlight earlier, he quickly went back inside and found it on the floor. Flipping the switch on, he saw a small pool of blood where Hazel had been laying.

"Oh fuck." He cursed before heading back out into the snow. Shining the light on the snow he quickly came up with a game plan, follow the footsteps in the snow, see where it led. He quickly set off following the tracks and occasionally a drip of blood.

He saw a break in the trees and up ahead he realized was the maintenance cabin, Frank recalled that this cabin was more than a shed, as it had a huge assortment of tools and whatnot. Even it's own backroom where they kept the power tools under lock and key. He began sprinting again, unnecessarily breaking down the door with the weight of his body.

He groaned as he stood up from the broken door. He took a look around the shed, shining his light on every tool he could see from his angle.

"Hello?" He heard a small voice come from the back of the cabin.

"Hazel!?" Frank called out.

"Frank! Oh my god, Frank, help me please!"

"Tell me where you are!" He shouted back, standing up though the process was a painful one. He felt his whole body prickle with bruising, but he didn't care, he had to find Hazel.

"Um, I- I don't know. It's dark back here." Her voice shook tremendously.

"Calm down, I'm here now."

"Frank, please, Octavian he's here too. Oh for the love of god, wake up, Octavian." Frank moved out of the entryway and down a short hallway before taking another turn, where he happened upon a fenced off area, and just there right beyond his reach, Hazel hung by her wrists, tied to a back wall. Though, he allowed himself a bit of relief, it seemed she'd only had a bloody nose and not any other bleeding. Beside her in the same position was Octavian, just rousing from unconsciousness.

"Huh? What happened?" Octavian looked up, "Frank? Wh-... What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, I'm going to try to get you guys out of this." Frank said, but he'd spoken too soon. Suddenly from out of nowhere, a voice came booming down from the ceiling.

"Hello, Frank, welcome to my little play house." The voice was deep and menacing as it broke off for a small chuckle. Frank found the door leading into the area, and adamantly tried to pry it open, only his attempts were futile. The door might as well have been bolted shut. Frank was beginning to curse himself for wasting so much energy unnecessarily.

"I'm sure you already know our little playmates, Hazel and Octavian."

"What is this?!" Octavian shouted.

"Frank!" Hazel diverted his attention back to them. This time, when he flashed the light back to them, he noticed a strange glint, causing him to walk forward. He felt his breathing stop as he noticed a clouded dirty saw blade set up on a track.

"What the fuck is this?" Frank whispered as the voice continued.

"Your decision will be the first of many tonight. I have the rest of your friends, and they too must play my little game. Remember, Frank, it's just a game, right?"

Suddenly the saw blade revved up and slowly crept towards the two hanging teenagers.

"You must decide who will live and who will die. Hazel or Octavian."

"No, this isn't happening!" Hazel said frantically.

"Frank, bro, you can't do this!"

"This is insane, this isn't real." Frank muttered walking up to the chain link fence separating him from his friends. He held his breath as he stared at the lever in front of him. How was he supposed to chose something like this? Sure Octavian and him had never been the best of friends, of course they had still been close. But then there was Hazel, and god did he love Hazel, now he could really show her how much he loved her. But did Octavian deserve that? Death because of some stupid unfulfilled crush? Sounded like a horrible way to go out.

"Frank, please!" Hazel shouted at him, shaking him back into reality. The saw blade kept moving closer and closer on the track.

"I'm so sorry." He said, "Guys I'm so sorry." He switched the blade to Octavian, trying not to look. But he couldn't help it, his choice had killed him. Frank's own conscious action was deliberately killing Octavian and he'd never get over the grief of this decision.

"You have chosen to save, Hazel."

"Frank!? Frank, what the fuck!?" Octavian screamed as the saw blade moved steadily toward him.

"I'm sorry man… I'm so sorry. I didn't want to do this I swear!"

"Frank!" Hazel shouted tears running down her face.

"How could you do this to me man!? What did I do!?" Octavian screamed as the saw dug into his abdomen, blood splattering a shrieking and crying Hazel in the process. Octavian wailed loudly as the saw worked its way to the other side of him. Hazel screaming bloody murder.

"I'm so sorry!" Frank shouted, "I'm so sorry!"

Octavian's body split open and soon enough the saw turned off and the room was filled with Hazel's blaringly loud sobs.

"Frank!?" She hiccuped as she cried.

"Hazel, don't look okay? Just don't open your eyes I'll come get you." Frank looked over at the door that was once locked, as it fell open effortlessly. He ran into the room and untied Hazel's hands, "We've got to get out of here, don't look-"

"Oh my god, Frank! He's dead!" She wept in his arms.

"It's okay, it'll be okay, we'll get help. Come on let's go back to the lodge, get Annabeth and the others."

"Frank, I'm scared." She sobbed.

"We have to go." Frank said taking her head to hide her away from the scene. He ran her out into the snow, taking her back to the lodge, when they suddenly ran into, Percy and Leo.

"Hazel? Frank?" Leo called out to them.

"Guys." Frank sighed, "We need your help."

"Hazel, there's blood all over you, what happened?" Percy asked taking a look at her to see where she was hurt.

"We aren't alone on this mountain." Frank said, the words falling rapidly out of his mouth, like a waterfall of fear and confusion. "There was this masked man and-and-and he knocked all three of us out… And oh my god, Octavian's dead."

"Wait, what do you mean dead?" Percy said calmly, "Slow down."

"There's a psycho out to kill us, he got Reyna and Hylla last year and now he's after us." Hazel said assuredly.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked, looking to Frank for confirmation.

"Yeah, yeah we're sure, we found this letter talking about this guy who used to work here. He was creeping on Reyna and Hylla for awhile it seems like."

"Okay…" Leo said, "We thought something we strange."

"The cablecar station is all fucked up. Something happened in there I don't know what." Percy started.

"And then we found this pig's head and a message." Leo continued, "Welcome back."

"Oh my god, Octavian's dead." Frank whispered again suddenly hit with the realization. He'd just killed his friend... Who does that without a second thought? What kind of monster was he?

"Okay, we need a game plan now." Hazel said.

"There's a radio tower not too far from here, Percy and I can go call in for help and then we'll get Piper and Jason, I'm sure they have no idea what's happening." Leo said trying to think of the most proactive plan.

"We'll tell Annabeth something's up, and then we'll wait for you here. I think we should give Hazel a breather." Frank said, shifting concern to the girl who was still crying and shaking, but trying to keep herself together.

"Sounds like a plan." Percy said. "You going to be alright Hazel?"

"Just so long as we get off this fucking mountain, asap, I'm solid." She said.

"Then it's settled." Frank said. "If you guys don't make it back-"

"Our phones will start working again as soon as this fucking storm passes." Leo said. "If we don't make it back, call for help the moment the storm is over. Got it?"

"Absolutely."

The boys nodded quickly, heading back out towards the radio tower.

Frank turned towards Hazel and gently took her back in an embrace. "It's okay, you're safe, we'll figure this out."

He didn't realize just how traumatized she was as she clung to his body. Sobbing loudly into his chest. "God, Frank, I'm so scared."

"Let's get you out of the cold and inside." Frank pulled back just a tad to look into her eyes.

"I can't believe you saved me…" She smiled softly at him.

Swallowing tears of his own he admitted, "I'd do it all over again, but let's try not to have that happen again in the same night okay?"

"Okay." She nodded, slipping her hand in his. "When we make it out of this alive… We should go out."

"Absolutely." He agreed walking her back inside the lodge.


	6. Chapter 5: Dred

Jason walked right up to the sanatorium's front door and attempt to follow right after Piper's presumed kidnapper. However, the door wasn't open when he reached it.

"Fucking, really?" Jason huffed, he stood back observe the large structure. He spotted a sign that had a rough outlining of the grounds, Blackwood Sanitorium est. 1922. He read through the awfully hard to read map, which was copper plated, no less making the whole ordeal even more difficult. He soon gave up on the attempt and wandered around the side of the hospital, scaling the wall until he came across a strategically placed board laying over a hole just big enough to fit him inside.

Jason could feel adrenaline take him over, fear was not an option, not if he was going to save Piper. And he had to save Piper, there was no other option. If he lost Piper he had no one else. His sister had been disowned, his dad only cared about the legacy of the family, and his mother was long since dead. Piper was always the one who understood, dead mothers and fathers seeking legacies, were the smallest of their similarities.

He jumped down inside of the building after stumbling around in the darkness he found an old lantern, which he quickly lit up with the matches from the cabin. Without hesitation he shone his light up around the area, he seemed to be in some sort of basement. A basement that had seen a wild night, from the looks of it, the place was entirely trashed. Decaying from years of abandonment, why had they closed this place down? Maybe because it was creep city, some hospital up on a mountain.

He searched for an exit, the only door not covered in piles of debris happened to be locked. Still he looked for a way out, suddenly struck with an idea he glanced around the room for something to climb on. Too worried about risking one of the many piles, he opted for a fully intact and sturdy seeming barrel. He swiftly managed to climb up onto a precarious and somewhat questionable ledge, which allowed him to climb up and into the main room.

Looking around he didn't notice much, he realized that this was the lobby, though decay had taken its toll. If the gaping hole in the middle of the floor didn't give it away, the furniture piled up along the walls and the cracking stone work did. He looked up to observe the area, but saw instead, a strange light illuminating a large double door with a sign that read, Chapel, above it. Jason walked quickly over to the door, only to find it locked, though there was a gap where he assumed would have been to slip in mail or something, Jason peered in through the hole, catching sight of a man throwing a chunk of meat at the wolves before sulking off.

"Pipes." Jason whispered, did this madman still have her? He tried to open the door only to find it locked, "Fuck." He then read the sign beside it, key card required for entry.

He started to look around for another way to get to her. He found an open archway and steadily started navigating his way through the tunnels of the hospital. "At least it's not windy in here." He muttered to himself walking straight into a dead end, though he did find old decaying newspapers, all of them talking about patients assaulting doctors and some mining accident way back in the fifties. Jason didn't give a shit about that, though the stories stuck in his mind as he headed down the nearest hallway, down to what was labeled as the morgue.

Of course, being the dweeb he was, Jason knew what sanatoriums were actually for. Back in the early 1900s they were almost like resorts. Thought they were often used as specialized hospitals for TB patients and later respiratory infections. People believed that the high altitude made breathing easier. Then the 1950s happened and gave sanatoriums a bad rap, as they started housing mentally ill patients as well. Jason liked to believe that this sanitorium was still used as a spa in the 1950s and they used massage oils to help the miners. Though that was wishful thinking.

He continued to find several disturbing articles talking about miners trapped by an accident and only twelve of them were rescued. They were kept at the sanitorium long after their physical wounds had healed, something must have been mentally wrong with them too. But the articles were kept vague, much to Jason's discontent.

He ventured down into the morgue and upon entrance he noticed a strategically placed machete, he snatched it up without question and continued his trek through the shambles of the morgue. With a light in one hand and a machete in another, he felt more at ease, but still heavily on edge. Though he wondered… where were the bodies? There were plenty of freezers to keep the bodies preserved, but all of them hung open and empty.

He found himself in a strangely colder room, and when he held up his light he jumped back in fear, gasping heavily.

"Holy fuck…" He saw a rotting hand propped up perfectly on a small table, waving back and forth. "No way." Jason shuttered, looking to the ground and picking up a small rock. After tossing it in his hand a bit he finally turned back towards the hand in disgust. He tossed the stone lightly at the hand, and watched in awe as a bear trap snapped viciously closed over it.

"Damn… I don't like this." He said to himself, regaining his composure, as he continued through the room. He found the only door, but it was sadly only accessible by key card.

"This is bullshit." He shivered, but still looked for the card, despite his distaste for the whole situation. He looked around the room quickly, before noticing one of the chamber doors was slightly ajar. He opened it up, revealing a decomposing corpse, that reeked of death and decay. Covering his mouth he pulled the body out just enough to notice a key card. He snatched it up, quickly retracting his hand, afraid that this body might reanimate. This night was already a horror film, might as well add zombies and Frankenstein's monster to it too.

"This will never work, this would only work is some bullshit horror movie." He muttered hurrying over to the door. He watched as the entrance light lit up. "Of course." He sighed entering the chapel. Except it wasn't the chapel, it was stairs leading up to god knew where and before the thought _typical_ could gloss over his mind he heard a low growl behind him. Wasting no time he began sprinting up the stairs, one of the wolves chasing him as he climbed up two steps at a time. before managing to slam the door behind him. Finally in the chapel he called out, "Piper!? Piper are you here!? Pipes please answer me!" But no sound came, except for the hollow echo of his voice. He was not exactly in the chapel as much as he was on the balcony where he assumed a small choir would convene. Long ago there might have been an organ, or likely a small piano that would play sweet hymns at small masses on Sundays. But this hall was now rubble and the only sound heard that night was the blubbering sobs of a boy who was losing hope fast.

"Piper please be alive, please." He cried thickly as he walked to the railing looking down into the small church. "You promised you'd always be here for me. That you'd always come back. Come back to me now, please don't be dead. I'm begging you." He headed back out of the the odd little chapel. He began to collect himself, reminding his mind that she could still be alive. That he'd yet to venture into the main chapel, and that he might still find her. He decided for now, he was safe, and so he looped the handle of the machete into one of the belt loops on his jeans.

Clinging to the hope in his heart, he managed to find his way back to the lobby and into the main church. He was greeted by another growling wolf, but Jason felt much more in control this time.

"Whoa, easy there." He held out his hand defensively and allowed the wolf to sniff his hand. When the wolf realized Jason meant no harm, he sat on his hind legs and watched allowing him passage. "Thanks… Hey you haven't seen a girl have you?" The wolf cocked its head at Jason before leading him towards a chest off to the side by one of the walls.

"I can't believe that worked." Jason chuckled before following his new friend. However, upon opening the chest he found inside, bones, a gun, and what looked like an open pack of ammo. "Oh I get you." He smirked at the dog, picking up a bone and tossing it to her. The dog gratefully gnawed at the bone as Jason loaded the gun. "Thanks, Lupa… sorry, Piper would say my nerd is showing." He chuckled before looking down at the gun in his hand, could he really shoot the man who took her? Could he?

The wolf seemed to point him towards a door, and so he continued his journey. Find Piper, get back to the lodge, get the fuck off this mountain, that was his game plan. But he'd resolved even if he just found Piper he'd be alright. He wouldn't leave this godforsaken mountain without her. These thoughts traveled through his head as he walked down the stairs and into another fenced off area.

And of course the fucking gate was locked, "I've got master lock right here." He chuckled to himself shooting the lock, only after shooting the lock off, did he realize that there was flammable gasoline on the other side of the fence.

"Fuck!" Jason ran away narrowly escaping the explosion behind him.

* * *

Percy turned to Leo as they hurried up the side of the mountain, the radio tower in full view.

"Hey, dude, do you think the rest of them are okay? Like Piper and Jason?"

Leo chuckled, "If any killer tries to get Piper they're going to have hell to pay. She's been in a horror film, she knows how to handle herself… And Jason would beat the shit out of anyone who tries to hurt her. They're fine, I'm positive."

"Okay… I have a bad feeling about all of this." Percy shivered.

"I wonder why, we're stuck on an isolated mountain a week before Christmas, in the middle of a snow storm, and there's a psychotic killer on the loose. I'm feeling pretty scared too man. We have every right to be."

Percy nodded, "Should I have gone looking for Annabeth?"

"And ruined Frank and Hazel's romance? Fat chance man. I'm sure when we get out of this mess, Annabeth will tear into you like a goddamn Christmas present."

"I hope you're right."

"I do too man, I do too." With that Percy continued to follow Leo up the mountain path.

* * *

Annabeth walked down into the basement, still clutching the towel in front of her. Her long curly hair, which she'd expertly kept out of the bath, now stuck to her damp skin with ends lightly soaked in water. She was freezing, it was dark, and all she has was a flashlight in her hand.

"Hello?" She called out, "I'm here…" She walked around a corner only to spot an oddly precariously open door. She saw a white sheet inside of the room but that was all. Turning around to look behind her, there was nothing, no sound or movement, and so she pressed on.

She heard a click as she opened the door and watched as a movie reel began to play and a voice began to speak to her.

"Hello, Annabeth. I'm glad you could join me."

"Hello? Who are you? Where are-"

"I want you to see something, my dear. Please feel free to take a seat." She turned her attention to the screen and saw herself in the bathtub.

"What the hell!?"

"I have your friends, Annabeth, and they need you. I'm afraid you've already lost one friend tonight." She watched as the video changed to Octavian's body being sawn in half as Hazel screamed beside him.

"What the fuck- Oh- oh god. Oh my god, Octavian!" She felt her eyes well up and her throat clench.

"A tragic day it is. The day that this sweet little girl, loses her innocence. You have five seconds, Annabeth."

"Five seconds!?"

"Five… Four… Three..."

"Till what!?" She called out backing up towards a closed door.

"Two-" And from the door she had entered the room in a masked man appeared, a canister of gas strapped to his back as he cluncked towards her. His mask was uncanny in its vision of horrific. Just devilish enough that it looked fake, but still instilled a sudden sense of panic.

She picked up a vase near her and threw it right at his head, thankfully she stunned him as she ran out the door and further into the basement. She ran until she encountered a door with a missing handle.

"Fucking…" She rammed the door open and locked it behind her, before running even deeper into the basement, although it started to seem less like a basement and more like a maze. Just as she was beginning to feel like she knew where she was, she saw him walking down the hallway she intended to run down. Quick on her feet she ran down the adjoining hallway and jumped down in an air gate, quickly turning off her flashlight. She felt the looming presence of the masked man above her, but he did not notice her.

"Where'd the little brat go?" He muttered before storming off. She felt the rumbling of his footsteps around her quickly fade into a dull vibration and then nothing at all. Taking a large gulp of breath she decided it would be much better to go forward than it would be to turn back.

She hauled herself out of the air vent and opened the door in front of her. She pressed on into the unknown, knowing that her friends needed her. And wherever they were, she was close. She could feel it.


	7. Chapter 6: Vengence

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2015 has been the fucking worst for me, but that just means 2016 literally cannot get any worse. I propose a toast, my friends, to a new beginning. May we all find ourselves in a better place come this time next year.**

 **Now let me scare the shit out of you! Kisses ;)**

Leo and Percy finally reached the radio tower. "Thank fucking god we made it." Leo sighed looking up at the looming tower. "Well ladies first." Leo held out his hands directing Percy to the ladder. Percy rolled his eyes as he began climbing up the tower.

"How do you think Frank and Hazel have made out?"

"I'm sure they're making us some hot coco and a warm fire as we speak." Leo called up as he followed his friend up the tower.

"You're so sure of everything tonight." Percy commented, climbing up as quickly as possible. But he kept talking, a jolting fear that if Leo went silent, he turn around to see him missing. Yes a cliche, but things just weren't right on this mountain.

"Well, we have to be, haven't you ever seen a horror movie? We're already thinking our way out of things. And those characters traded brains for breast implants years ago."

"I guess you're right… But still."

"Look man, if we're going to survive we have to keep our heads. There's no use in flipping shit for no reason." Leo said with confidence.

"Again, you're right, but isn't this fazing you at all?"

"Of course it is, who do you take me for? A robot?" Leo asked. Percy finally reached the top of the tower, clambering up to the top ledge.

"I take you for, Leo, my idiotic and somewhat brave, bro." Percy turned down to smirk at his friend.

"Somewhat brave? Man I'm real damn brave." Leo held out his hand, allowing Percy to help lift him up to the top. "And alakazam! We made it."

"Yup." Percy nodded. "This wind is getting intense."

"Yeah, let's go break the door down." Leo chuckled as the two stood up, walking around the tower to the door.

"Hey, what's this?" Percy asked looking at a strange box, bolted to the wall. He noticed a latch and swiftly opened it, inside of the box, a small gun sat. "It looks like a water gun."

"It's not, get your head out of the ocean for five minutes would ya?" Leo chortled.

"Hey man, too far right now." Percy put his foot down on the joking.

"It's a flare gun." Leo explained more seriously.

"Well since you know what it is you handle it." Percy handed the gun over to Leo.

"Thank you very much good sir." Leo took the gun and shoved it in his pocket. "We'll need it for when the rescuers come looking for us."

"Good thinking." Percy said walking around the corner to the door. Once they were inside, it was easy to spot the radio. Leo walked over to it immediately and began fiddling with the device. Percy however walked over to a locker which hung open slightly. Inside was a missing poster, Percy had seen them before, when Reyna and Hylla had first disappeared. The picture was of the two of them in Christmas sweaters hugging in front of a Christmas tree. The last Christmas photo they'd taken before the trip.

Percy's heart lodged in his throat as Leo cursed in Spanish.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"The power's out… I'm going to have to think of something else… Hey is there a fuse box in here?"

Lucky for Percy the fuse box was right beside the locker. "Shazam, and there was power." He chuckled flipping on the switch.

"So you get to make jokes but I can't?"

Percy shrugged, "Get us out of here and you can make all the jokes you want."

Leo turned back to the radio, and as he worked on the device a voice rang through loud and clear.

"Ranger service for Blackwood County. Over."

"Hello, can you hear me?" Leo spoke into the microphone.

"Hello?" The ranger responded, "Hello? Is someone trying to contact us? This is the park ranger service for Blackwood county. I'm not receiving your signal very well. Please speak slowly and clearly. Over."

Leo took a deep breath, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes I can hear you. What is your message? Over."

"We need you to dispatch rescuers to Blackwood Mountain." Percy was actually extremely impressed by how calmly Leo was handling this situation. For a real goofball, Leo knew what he was doing. "One of our friends has been hurt and one of them is dead. We aren't alone up here. Someone is after us, please we're a bunch of teenagers we need help."

"What's your name, sir? Over."

"My name is Leo Valdez, we're staying at the private lodge on Blackwood Mountain and we need help."

"I read you, sir, we'll send out helicopters as soon as the storm has subsided, how many of you are there?"

"There are seven of us now. How long will that take? We're really desperate."

"We won't be able to send dispatchers out until dawn, at the earliest. The storm is really bad up there and it's not expected to clear up until then."

"That's too long." Percy said, fear suddenly very evident in the way he stood.

Leo looked at his friend and then back at the radio. "Is there any way to get here sooner?" Leo asked.

"Not safely. We won't be able to reach you until dawn."

Suddenly there was a loud creaking in the tower. Leo looked at Percy as the ranger tried to continue giving Leo instructions.

"Hello? Leo Valdez can you hear me?" The tower began shifting under the boy's feet.

"Holy fuck!" Percy shouted as the tower leaned over the cliff side. Leo quickly grabbed at a support beam as the tower slowly began to fall down into the cavern below.

Percy was not so lucky and was slammed into a window on the far side of the tower.

"Perce!" Leo shouted, "Just hold on okay!?"

"Okay." Percy groaned. But as soon as he said that, the radio fell off of the counter and smashed the window beside Percy, sending him toppling out of the fire tower. By sheer luck, Percy managed to grab on to the wire ledge of the tower.

"Percy, are you okay!?"

"I'd be a lot better if I weren't hanging over a fucking cliff, but you know just a detail!" Percy called out as the tower fell into the unknown cavern.

Halfway through their descent, the tower caught on to two precarious ledges. Halting its descent further into the mine.

"Oh fucking… Perce!?" Leo called out, he was able to shimmy himself out of the tower, and onto a platform. He could see Percy trying to perch himself on the new broken railing. With every movement the tower creaked more and more. "Percy are you alright?"

"Yeah! You okay!?"

"I'm okay, let's get you out of there." Leo leaned down, reaching out for his friend when the tower began shifting under his weight.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Percy retracted his hand and held back onto the support. "Dude this isn't going to work… You have to jump." Leo looked up at the ledge just a jump out of reach, but there was no question.

Leo had to get Percy out of here. His friends were all he had... It's not like his family gave a shit out about him, that's what happened when you're an orphan. But his friends had been there for him, every graduation, every mishap, every detention. So even if it was stupid, Leo wouldn't jump.

Leo reached his hand back down to his friend without so much as a syllable spoken.

"Leo!" Percy shouted as the tower crumbled between the two ledges, sending the boys tumbling down again.

Leo's body, however, propelled to one of the ledges, leaving him with a splitting headache and close to unconsciousness. As he laid on his back, his vision blurred from the impact, he felt hands grasp his legs and begin to drag him away.

Leo definitely didn't feel right about this. Without a second to think, he wiped the flare gun out of his pocket and shot at the blurred figure dragging him along the mine floor.

Whatever it was screamed at the flare and ran away receding into the darkness. Leo's last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was that scream. It hung in his ear because… well.

It didn't sound human.

* * *

Hazel came running down the stairs.

"Well?" Frank asked her.

"I can't find her anywhere. She's not in the bathroom not in any of the bedrooms."

"Fuck…" Frank turned around, "Well she's not down here."

"Where could she be?"

Frank turned to look at her, "The basement."

"You think?"

"Let's check, come on. We don't have time to waste. We need to be back up here when the guys get back."

"I guess you're right." Hazel sighed, following him down the stairs into the basement. "Hey… uh, Frank?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say… Thank you, for what you did back in the shed. That couldn't have been easy, and I've never felt so scared in my whole life and I just panicked. I shouldn't have screamed so much and I shouldn't have made you choose me, I mean Octavian didn't deserve that he was just as scared as me. Nobody deserves to go out like that, and thinking that your friends don't care about you must have hurt so much-"

Frank turned around, holding Hazel to his chest, "Stop. Stop it okay? Even if you were begging me to save Octavian I would have picked you. If I have to do it over and over again, I will pick you every time. I can't let anything happen to you, Hazel. I just can't do that."

"Frank-" He took her away from his body a moment just so he could finally kiss her. He had wanted to kiss her for so long that this kiss not only felt right. But it felt like the only right thing in the world.

"I will not let you die, Hazel. Do you hear me? If you get out of here tonight and I don't I'll die happy."

"If it comes down to it… Let me save you. Please." She said.

"Not gonna happen." He promised, "Let's find Annabeth, now."

Hazel nodded, but just as Frank turned around she pulled him back for another kiss. Breathless and blushing, the two of them continued on their way, finding themselves in the same screening room, Annabeth had found herself in not too long ago.

"I don't like this at all, Frank."

"I know, but we have to keep going, Annabeth's in trouble."

"And we're not? We're walking right back into this maniac's hands."

"We aren't abandoning Annabeth. She wouldn't abandon us and don't even think about splitting up."

Hazel sighed as they continued to look for Annabeth, but something caught her eye, a large dollhouse with a key dangling right in front of it. Hazel approached the toy, and took the key in her hands. As she looked back up she peered into the window and saw a set up inside of the living room, exactly as it had been last year.

"Frank, come look at this." She called him over.

"What the hell?"

"He was there, the psycho was there that night, he had to be."

"No way…"

"And Reyna and Hylla, they ran right out into his arms." Hazel felt herself begin to choke on tears.

"Nobody else is going out like that." He said.

"What if we don't get a choice?" She asked, but he didn't answer, he walked away back towards the doorway they were heading down. Hazel however, noticed a keyhole right at the roof of the doll house.

"This is crazy." She whispered as she fit the key and unlocked the top box. There was hardly anything inside the top box, except for a few doll clothes and a journal. Hazel didn't hesitate to begin reading it. She noticed the handwriting and felt an instantaneous remembrance fall over her. This was Reyna's.

 _So, wow diary's are lame right? I mean, I'm only keeping this stupid thing for English Lit, so… They told me to write in this whenever I'm feeling something… Which is dumb because always feel something, but I guess it's for school. So I guess here we go._

"Rey…" Hazel pressed her lips together as she flipped through entries.

 _I swear my best friend is so stupid, doesn't he know I'm in love with him._

Hazel stopped reading when she reached that page. She had a sudden flashback to that night. She remembered Reyna staring at something, she looked like she was breaking down. "Oh my god, she loved, Jason." Hazel said frantically, finally looking up for Frank.

"Shit!" She tossed the book back into its place and raced down the hall. "Frank!?" She called before running into the meat head, who was staring at some manual.

"Hazel? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I just… Reyna loved Jason."

"What?"

"I found this journal she kept for English Lit and she wrote about how she was in love with him, and that's why she ran out into the storm, Frank. Because she loved him but he didn't love her and we were telling her to be a lesbian."

"Calm down." Frank said hugging her tightly.

"We killed her."

"Hey, there was nothing we could have done. She was upset and didn't know what to do. It happens sometimes. But right now we have to find Annabeth so she doesn't end up like that. Got it?"

"Frank… The last thing I said to her was that she should try having sex with girls. I can't change that. The last thing I did to her, was be an ass… Just like Octavian."

Frank held her hands, "Then we'll have to make it up to her and Octavian. By saving everyone else."

Hazel walked over to the desk where the manual laid, still holding Frank's hand. "What's so interesting about this?"

"It's on how to work that old projector screen down here." Hazel picked up the pair of scissors beside it.

"Now I'm armed." She chuckled.

"Let's keep going." Frank said, turning to walk down the near hallway, Hazel however noticed a blinking red light between two boxes.

"Hey, wait!" Hazel called out grabbing a camera from its hiding place.

"What is that?"

"He's watching us." Hazel said, "That manic is watching us."

Frank took the camera out of her hand and snapped the extension off of it, the two watched the red light die.

"Not anymore." He said, throwing it on the ground. The two headed down the hall, hand in hand, now much more alert as they searched for Annabeth. The basement became more decayed as they ventured through it, slowly the structure became more dated and seemed to be more like a hotel basement, than a home basement. There were spare parts and an odd assortment of old toys and furniture.

Soon they reached an end to the maze of halls and found themselves in an abandoned old parlor.

"What's this?" Hazel asked leaning down to look at a package with newspapers on top.

"Probably something old and irrelevant." Frank said looking for the next route to take.

"Fake newspapers." Hazel said reading the label. "Who the hell needs fake newspapers?"

"Who cares let's just-"

"Look at these, Frank." She said, "It's the same newspaper we found upstairs." She started to read him the article.

"It was… fake?" Frank asked.

"I don't like this, nothing is adding up."

Frank shook his head and continued on his mission, determination continuing to get the better of him. Hazel continued to follow him, they had to find Annabeth, she was in trouble. But as they went down a staircase further into the basement, Hazel felt like she was putting together the pieces of the puzzle a little bit better.

"Hey, Frank… What do you think about all of this?" She asked.

"Hazel, I don't know okay, I worried out of my mind about Annabeth. Can we please find her and get back upstairs? Leo and Percy will be back soon."

"I'm thinking we're not in any real danger." She blurted out her theory.

"You're kidding right? You saw what that psycho did to Octavian."

"But the newspapers, and the camera, it makes me feel like this is all a set up. Like a saw movie or something. Like the real danger is some kind of crazy screenwriter."

"Hazel, you've had a long night, I think you're over thinking this."

"What kind of crazy person orders fake newspapers to sell us on some story? I don't think we need to be so wound up. Maybe he's trying to be more intimidating than he is."

Frank turned away from her and continued to walk in their intended direction.

"You don't believe me." Hazel sighed.

"No, I don't, but I'm also really on edge."

"I'm sorry." She said gripping his hand.

"It's not your fault…" He sighed as they came into a chamber with hanging chains and an assortment of tools lying about. Hazel's eye caught on a wall with tacked up pictures, one of each of the ten friends. Hylla, Reyna, and Octavian's eyes were scratched out but other than that the images were untouched.

"What the fucking hell is that?" Frank asked.

"A hit list." Hazel muttered.

"Well, he hasn't gotten anyone else at least."

Frank tried to continue forward but was stopped by Hazel yanking him back, "Stop charging forward, Frank. This isn't the time to be playing hero, now is the time to be watching each others backs and staying safe."

"You're right, I'm sorry." He agreed, and the two pressed on down another much shorter hallway. When they appeared in the next room, right in front of them, was a door, the bottom of it splattered in blood. "Oh my god, Annabeth. He has her." Frank said trying to open the door, which turned out to be made of solid metal and incredibly difficult to move. "Come on Hazel, I can't hold it open too long."

But Hazel saw a figure moving behind a boarded up hole in the wall. "Frank, wait she's over-"

The door slammed shut knocking Frank inside the room and leaving Hazel alone. "Oh fuck me!" Hazel said putting her hand to her forehead. "Okay, don't panic. Don't. Panic."

Taking a deep breath she walked over to the boarded up wall and looked in between the large gaps in the boards. Inside she saw a man in a mask working on something, loading a gun perhaps?

Suddenly she ducked down, afraid he might turn and find her, Hazel's instincts were correct, the moment she killed the light of her flashlight she heard the heaving breathing of the masked man, as he peered into the next room.

She heard him clunk away from her, soon after that. Feeling her heart slow down in her chest, she began to crawl away into the next room. She stood up brushed her pants off and began looking for Frank. Upon opening the door, she saw him slumped in front of a mannequin wearing Annabeth's clothes. He looked like he was unconscious… but what had happened to him?

Out of nowhere she felt arms wrap around her shoulders, without a second thought she stabbed the scissors into the shoulder behind her. The same masked man she had just seen was standing over her. She tried to punch him again but this time he grabbed her arm in retaliation.

"You fucking cunt!" He shouted punching her straight in the eye with his free hand, before pinning her down under his weight.

Hazel struggled against him, but he quickly grabbed the mask from his canister and stuck it to her face, knocking her out cold.

* * *

It wasn't long before the two roused from their sleep, strapped to chairs, with a table separating them. The only thing on that table, was a gun that gleamed before them.

"Hazel? Hazel are you okay? Oh my god your eye!" Frank fretted over her as she woke.

"Frank? What happened?" Her headache wasn't as bad as before, but she still wished she had had some kind of ice pack to put on her eye.

"I don't know! I don't know! I saw Annabeth's clothes on that dummy and I just- he got her but now he has us too."

"Where are we?"

"I don't know, but… I don't know." Frank sniffed back his tears, lifting up his one free hand to wipe his face.

"I stabbed him, I did, but he got us anyway. Frank, I'm so sorry." Hazel felt her swollen eye begin to tear up.

"This isn't your fault, Hazel, we'll get out of here I promise!"

"Frank-"

"Hello again, Frank, and sweet little Hazel."

"What do you want!?" Frank shouted at the ceiling in doing this, he noticed the two sawblades above his and Hazel's heads.

"You see, Frank has already made, one fatal choice tonight, and now, he'll make another." Frank grabbed the gun and held it in his hand. "You can either choose to shoot Hazel, or yourself. Your decision has a time limit, you have one minute to choose before these saws reach you, and neither of you want that."

"Frank." Hazel shook her head, "Frank, please choose me, kill me."

Frank pointed the gun to his head, "Hazel, I already told you, I'm not letting you die. Not when I have the choice-"

"Then where's my choice? When do I get to save you? Frank please, let me save you, I want to decide this!"

"I'm sorry, if I could have switched places with Octavian I would have in a heartbeat. I can't let anyone else die because of my actions. This time it's my turn."

"No! You chose last time, it's my turn to decide who lives and who dies!"

"I'm so sorry."

"Frank!" She screamed as he pulled the trigger.


	8. Chapter 7: Loss

Annabeth continued through the halls of the old hotel until she happened upon a dimly lit room, she decided to look for clues, maybe this psycho had left her something that would lead her to her friends. She opened a desk drawer, and inside she found a medical folder.

Without a moment of hesitation she began thumbing through the folder and soon realized, it was Octavian's. The documents all stated that he was in therapy for severe manic depression.

"What?" She asked, Octavian had never once mentioned that he was seeing someone for help. Though she was a bit relieved, Octavian had given her a few scares. A few nights where he called her crying, asking her why he was in so much pain.

These files said he was off his medication due to severe reactions to every drug he'd been on, and suddenly Annabeth felt a sense of dread fall over her. He was sick and she didn't know. What kind of a friend was she?

She shook her head leaving the file out as she continued to search for her friends. She wondered if Percy was okay, if Piper and Jason were involved in this at all or if they were safe. What about Leo, Hazel, and Frank? Were they okay?

Before she left she noticed a strange cork board with pictures of Reyna and Hylla pinned up to it.

"Oh no." Annabeth sighed, this guy, whoever he was, he was the one who killed them. Wasn't he?

She hurried her pace, walking through the halls that seemed endless, like they would never spit her out into a room. She would honestly have taken any room she could find at that moment. She finally reached a door in her path, but as she attempted to open it she noticed a rectangular hole, cut out, like a secret passage door. She looked in and saw the man in a mask, his back turned to her, as he watched video clips from the house.

Quickly she scampered away, before accidentally running into a table. Thankfully she hardly made a sound while doing this. On the table sat a voice recorder, with a tape inside. Curiously she played it and sure enough she heard the voice of the masked man.

"Hello? Hello children…. no that's not right…." Was that, Octavian's voice? When the voice changed, to say, that's not right, the voice sounded just like his. What the fuck was going on?

Though Annabeth was confused she didn't hesitate to hurry away from the table, what if he had heard her? She found a small set of stairs which she quickly climbed and bolted into the next room. She closed the door behind her and sighed heavily. When she turned back around she saw a camera set up on a tripod, pointed at a chair with leather straps, only it was vacant, next to it she saw her backpack and… was that a dummy wearing her clothes?

"Pst!" She heard a loud hiss.

"Jesus! Fuck!" She shouted turning around, shining her light over at the sound. She saw Jason's face, covered in dirt and soot peeking at her between the bars of what was probably a sewer or something. "Jason, what the fuck?"

"Sorry, are you okay?" He asked as she got on her knees to speak to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank god you found me, I was scared out of my goddamn mind." She shivered.

"Why are you in a bath towel?"

"There's this maniac on the mountain with us, he stole my clothes and told me to come looking for you guys."

"Yeah you're right about some crazy asshole being after us. He took, Piper."

"Oh no…"

"I followed him to this old abandoned sanitorium, but I lost him. I don't know what happened to Piper. If she's hurt or worse-" He was on the brink of tears so Annabeth interrupted him.

"We have to find the others, now. We'll come up with a game plan and get her back. I promise."

"Okay…"

"But this guy you're talking about, how did he get from the cabin to here?"

"Well, how did we find each other?" Jason asked logically, "There's a web of tunnels, he must know them inside and out. What did he do to you?"

She shook her head, "He showed me these videos of Octavian getting ripped in half by this fucking sawblade and then, oh my fucking god he tried to kidnap me too. Who knows what he would have done."

"Holy hell, Annabeth. And the others?"

"I haven't seen any of them. I'm worried Jason."

"Okay, well, there's a door on this side, but it won't open, can you get it open on your end?"

Annabeth nodded, standing upright she grabbed the backpack, and decided not to waste anytime trying to get her clothes off the dummy. She had clothes in her backpack anyway, and so she hurried into the next room, removing what was blocking the door to let Jason in. The two hugged the moment the door opened.

"I'm fucking freaked out, Jason."

"Me too. I'm scared I'm cold and I'm fucking tired."

"Were you and Piper…."

"Yes, we were about to have sex." He rolled his eyes as she looked at his torn t shirt.

"I need to change."

"Right, I'll stand guard." Jason agreed letting her walk into the room he'd been in before. Annabeth quickly threw on her clothes, thankful for the warmth of her jacket, she was also smart enough to have some hair ties, which she used to throw her hair out of her face. If she was going to be fighting some psycho she didn't have time to deal with the tangled mop of hair on her head.

"You hear that?" Jason asked bringing attention to the screams coming from the door directly across from where they stood.

"Hazel." Annabeth said as the two rushed to the door. They used their combined strength to break it open.

"Stop it! Get away from us! Leave us alone!" Hazel screamed as the masked man walked towards her and Frank who was looking incredibly dazed and confused.

"What the fuck?" Frank asked, looking at the gun in his hand curiously.

"Oh, Frank, haven't you ever heard of blanks before?" The psycho said circling the table.

"Fuck off!" Hazel shouted at him, and just as she did this. The killer revealed himself, taking off the mask. Underneath that hideous thing, was a snickering Octavian.

* * *

Percy found himself dangling from a cord that had wrapped around his ankle. Still completely aware of the danger he was in he futilely called out for his friend.

"Leo!? Leo!? Are you there?" But no sound came. "Shit." He heard the creaking of the fire tower, and knew there would only be more plummeting if he stayed there. Quickly swinging over to a broken off track, he managed to grab hold of the edge just before the wire he was attached to snapped. He crawled up into the mouth of the ledge and sat for a moment breathing heavily. He watched as the tower crumbled falling deeper into the abyss.

"Leo!" He shouted, tears streaming down his face, "Leo!... I'm so sorry buddy…" He wept over the loss of his friend. Leo, who couldn't abandon Percy, even when he told him to. "You were the bravest of us." He muttered to the darkness, hoping that wherever Leo was he could hear Percy's gratitude.

After a moment of mourning, Percy stood up, Leo couldn't have died just so Percy could sit there and sob. He had to get back to his friends before it was too late.

He grabbed a broken piece of wood that looked thick enough to last as a torch. He unzipped his coat and ripped the lower portion of his shirt, wrapping it around the wood and lighting the fabric on fire. It was better than walking around in the darkness, but he wasn't sure how long the torch would last.

He began making his way through the mine, the narrow passages didn't bother him as much as the odd screeching he heard from above him. He was hesitant to descend further into the mines, but saw no other alternative, he walked down further, following the winding path. He reached a more opened area, but that didn't help him much when he realized he was surrounded by dead ends.

"Alright, think, Percy." He muttered to himself, looking over at one of the mining carts. He tried to figure out where it led to, maybe if he just, took off the break? He did this and watched the cart smash through one of the wooden walls, giving him a new path. "Percy one, mountain zero." He smirked venturing into the new room he'd opened. He was suddenly in a much larger room, like the main pumping room, or something. Many old abandoned carts sat untouched, and then there was an elevator, a straight shot to the top. Percy didn't want to risk the climb, but he did know he could get out of there if he got it working.

He spotted a ladder close to what seemed to be the control center. He rushed over to it and quickly began to climb, however, too quickly, as the old ladder broke off as soon as he'd placed the torch on the ledge before him and sent Percy tumbling further down the mine.

"Ah fuck!" Percy shouted when he finally landed. "Now what?" He pulled out his phone, from the zipper pocket in his jacket, at least the flashlight didn't need signal. But as he turned it on he suddenly illuminated the secrets of the mountain. Shattered bone and half decomposed bodies surrounded him. He was afraid, but there was no other option but to press forward.

When he ventured into a cavern like room he looked around for an exit. The only one he could see was up. He could probably withstand the climb, but the wall was steep, even one misstep would probably prove to be the death of him.

He heard a sudden screeching from up there, and what sounded like fire. Swallowing his fear, he climbed up the wall and eventually reached a ladder, bolted into the side of the mine. He clambered up onto the ledge where the ladder ended he pulled out his phone light again, silently thanking his mother for reminding him to charge his phone before he left.

He walked back into a narrow tunnel and followed the path as far as he could. He had reached the end of a bridge when he heard the screaming again and this time he could see the glow from a fire from one end of the mine.

"Fucking fuck." Percy gasped, he looked for another way to go, but the only other way to go, was back and there was no sense in doing that.

When he reached the top of the stairs he realized that he was back in that main room, and there was his torch still burning bright. He breathed a sigh of relief, that light he'd seen was just his own.

He picked up the torch and began walking to the control panel, thankfully it was as easy as flipping on a switch to get the energy back on, and the old lights in the mine all lit up at once. Flickering with age, but still working and that's all that mattered.

"Thank god, something in this hell hole works." He sighed. But now he had to find a way around to get to the freaking elevator, because nothing could be easy. He started walking to the opposite end of the platform he was on and walked down the steep stairs, ending up in a fenced off area with yet again only one way out. It was as if something was leading him with all of these one way only signs and Percy had a bad feeling about it all.

He walked down deeper into the mine, keeping his eyes open for any sign of a way back into the main room. He was spat out at the end in a open space, where snow was lightly falling down into the cavern. There was a direct way out but it was coated in ice and there was no way he would be able to climb that.

As he was searching for a way out he spotted what looked like a ring, and when he picked it up he realized it was a ring. Hylla's ring, the one she never took off. "Oh god, Hylla… I'm so sorry."

He pocketed the ring, maybe he could bring it back to her parents when he got out of there. As he walked down what looked like a hallway, he let a small diverging road distract him, though when he reached the dead end he found something made him choke. A crudely made cross with the name Hylla etched into the wood.

"No… No… Hylla." But when he looked down to where she should have been buried all he saw was an empty grave, someone must have dug her up… Who would do such a thing?

He hurried back to the main path, allowing the walkway to lead him into a water filtration room, where he wasn't exactly sure what the miners would do here, but he figured he was close to finding his way out. Wasn't everything supposed to lead back into that main room so the miners could clock out everyday? It made sense in Percy's mind.

Again he saw the glinting of something in the light from his torch, when he walked over to it he realized it was Reyna's locket, again something she would have never taken off. He pocketed this as well, maybe… Maybe he'd soon find Reyna's grave as well. But would her body be missing as well?

He had to move another slab of wood out of the way, but when he did he was able to continue forward. When he walked into the new area, he saw a mound of something over by a small wooden structure, slowly he walked to it, inching closer until he was right in front of it. Hesitantly he placed his hand on top of it, or rather, her. Hylla's head broke off of her small devoured frame, It looked like she had been taken and… eaten.

"Holy crap!" Percy shouted running away from the body, back unknowingly towards the main room. He ran into a door, with a sign that he didn't bother reading, instead he rammed into the wood, breaking it so that he could run inside. Not a single care was given to where he might end up. But he was lucky, as he found himself right where he had started, in the main room.

He got into the elevator and sent it into motion, the old thing moved quickly for its age, hurtling him up towards the exit.

When the elevator stopped he stumbled out, suddenly hit with fatigue, though he realized he was not out of the mine yet, he was just somewhere new.

But just as he was about to groan, a strange man with a tank attached to his back grabbed onto his arm.

"Come with me!" He growled racing the two of them down one of the halls. Percy's weakness was beginning to win out and so he had no choice but to allow this man to drag him to wherever they were headed.

"Let go of me!" Percy protested.

"Quiet you!" The stranger said. "Stay safe, get back to the lodge as fast as you can."

"Huh?" Percy asked as they reached a ledge.

"I'll try to help you but I can only do so much. Take this and light it when you reach the bottom." He handed him a flare with a twist off top. Before Percy could ask who this guy was, the stranger shoved him down a slope into the unknown.

* * *

Octavian was nearly doubled over laughing, "Gotcha!"

"What the fuck Octavian!?" Hazel asked struggling in her seat. Jason and Annabeth rushed over to help the two out of their seats, though Frank looked more lost than anything else.

"I got you guys good, didn't I? How did that feel? I mean, you were tortured, terrorized, humiliated! And Hazel; my god, Hazel lost all hope. Just like my sisters did. Exactly one year ago."

Annabeth held Hazel back from ripping him apart.

"Only, here's the thing, they didn't get to have this relief. Knowing there was nothing wrong or anything to be afraid of in the first place. No, they went missing instead."

"You fucking-" Annabeth gripped Hazel to her body. The younger girl fighting to hit him in anyway she could.

Jason supported Frank until he could stand on his own. "Octavian, look around man, none of us are laughing, because this is taking things too far."

"Was it taking things too far when you broke my sister's heart, Jason?" He asked. "Was it taking things too far when the rest of you told my baby sister to become a lesbian when she'd just had her heart ripped out of her chest? It wasn't fair of me to think she'd be alright, but at least I didn't send her sprinting out of this house."

"Octavian, this is a bit extreme." Annabeth said.

"I made each of you feel everything that they felt. No detail skipped out on, no opportunity to mess with your mind missed, no detail could be spared."

"But you're dead." Frank said suddenly coming back to himself.

"Nope, that would be a body stuffed full of pig guts and gore galore." Octavian chortled.

"Why were you filming us, if you knew our every move anyway?" Hazel asked, wrangling herself out of Annabeth's arms to stand on her own.

"Oh that? It's the next internet sensation, we've got everything a good movie needs. Revenge, a love story, and a nearly naked hottie. What else could we need? Besides it'll be the cherry on top for your little scandal. The kids who sent my sisters into the unknown never to return, finally get what's coming to them. And I was the puppetmaster in your demise. How does it feel my little puppets?"

"Octavian, I know that things have been tough on you but-"

"No, no, Annabeth, don't you dare mercy him. Tell me where the fuck you took Piper. Now!" Jason's voice boomed through the basement shocking everyone of them back into their place.

"What are you talking about?"" Octavian asked his voice low with confusion.

Jason stalked around the table towards Octavian. "Piper, my girlfriend, you sick fuck! Where did you take her!?"

"I-I didn't…. I didn't mess with you guys. There's no way to reach that cabin from these tunnels."

Jason shook his head, "No… Piper…."

"Then what got to her?" Annabeth asked, before Jason was suddenly on top of Octavian throwing punches left and right.

"Jason stop it!" Annabeth shouted as she, Hazel, and Frank all wrestled Jason off of Octavian. The boy who was now unconscious and bleeding, was the focal point of the conversation.

Annabeth sighed, "Okay, new plan. Let's get Octavian upstairs and-"

"I am not spending another second with him." Hazel spat in disgust.

"We'll lock him in his room for the night and have whoever comes for us take him into custody. He's unstable, he needs help." Frank said looking at the poor bastard.

"Yeah, and what about Piper? I'm not leaving without Piper." Jason persisted, growling and snarling, but really trying to hold back his tears.

"Jason, we don't know what happened to her or what has her." Annabeth reasoned.

"You're saying… she's dead, aren't you?"

"I'm saying we can't risk splitting up to go find her. Frank's in no condition to leave the lodge and we can't leave Octavian unattended. I'm sorry." Annabeth tried to say it calmly, but Jason felt like his world was crashing down around him.

Hazel grabbed onto him as he collapsed into a sobbing mess.

"What am I gonna do without her?" He asked Hazel.

She rubbed his back unsure of what to say, until she offered a bit of hope. "Leo and Percy are still out there, maybe they'll find her."

"Let's get Octavian locked away." Frank said, "And out of this fucking basement." Between Annabeth and Frank they managed to carry him up to his room, while Hazel sat with Jason on the couch. Both of them hoping that Piper wasn't a lost cause.

* * *

Piper had been attacked and dragged, taken and beaten before she realized what was happening to her. She had heard the legends throughout her childhood. But she never thought it could be true. When she was a child she had been told of a monster, one who was cruel and merciless.

A creature who was ruthless to every living being, that was never satisfied in its lust for flesh and blood. It killed all things in nature, though the creature's favorite meal was human. This creature who lurked in the shadows on cold winter nights seeking it's prized victims.

She knew this tale well, she had always preferred the creepy tales to the nicer ones her grandfather had told her. But she was glad she had heard this story so many times over. The Wendigo had attacked her, and began to drag her to it's lair. When she asked herself, why it hadn't killed her, she remembered that wendigo's enjoyed collecting their prey, stalking them and keeping their favorites parts. Be it heads, arms or even ribs. She had always thought that part was stupid, but it was apparently very true.

The creature who looked like a walking skeleton with skin pale as frostbite, was as real as the sun and there was no avoid that anymore. Her dad had always told her that these stories were not real, but now she new better.

She thought all of this and more, recalling the legend to help her, maybe somehow escape with her life. She knew that wendigos were agile and there was no way she could out run one. She had begun to think that this was how she would die, at the hands of a myth she had never honestly believed. But the creature had dropped her along the way, as it was racing back to it's home, to hang her up like prized deer antlers. And Piper, unable to move laid in the snow, her whole body freezing as the snow began to melt against her skin and clothing. The beast turned to find her, however it seemed like she was suddenly invisible to the monster.

She shouldn't have been surprised by that either, the legends said that if one remained as still as ice, the wendigo would never find them. It looked around and screeched its wicked scream that sounded like harsh winter winds ripping bark off of trees, before it ran in hot pursuit after its meal.

"What the ever living… Never mind, thanks Grandpa." She said when the coast was clear, freezing cold, she ran towards the nearest building and out of the cold air. She felt like she had a bruised rib or two, but that pailed in comparison to the dire situation she was in. She was cold, wet, and didn't know when or if the wendigo would return.

Where should she go next? Back to the lodge, hopefully her lugheaded boyfriend hadn't waited around for her. She wanted to go back the way she came, but she wasn't risking another encounter with that thing.

She found a miner's jacket hung up on one of the walls and an old broken elevator. She grabbed the jacket, seeking any kind of warmth she could find. Upon further inspection of the room, she found an oil lamp which she was able to light with some matches stowed away in an old desk. In that same desk she found a loaded gun and some extra ammo.

She took it without hesitation, the legends she'd been told reminded her that the wendigo was invincible to all things, much like the winter forest the monster called its home. And just like the forest, the wendigo's only true enemy was fire, the flames that would warm and melt its frozen essence.

Piper headed down the stairs and into the mine, now armed with a gun and a light, she felt fucking invincible, like nothing could stop her.

She had a game plan, get the fuck out of the mines, and get back to the lodge ASAP, when suddenly as she appeared in a large room that took her aback. Cages and body parts strewn about, she noticed a dark ominous lake beside her, and that was not all that was dark and ominous. She felt her blood run cold as she stared into the wendigo's eyes and they stared right back. A hollow icy gaze that struck her down from where she stood, this myth brought to life almost brought her to her knees, but after a brief moment, the beast screamed as it charged after her. She shot at it's chest stunning it long enough to bar herself against a wall, shooting it again and again until it fell into the lake. However, she knew it could swim, and that's why she ran down the hall closest to her. And stood still waiting to hear that sinister shrieking as the creature ran down a different hall trying to pursue her.

She felt her body relax when she knew she was safe, but she tensed again when she heard a feeble sounding groan from a small alcove. Against her better judgment she ducked inside of it, and she saw the crumpled up body of her dear friend.

"Leo." She hissed as she shook his body. "Leo, please don't be dead, please, please, please, please, please."

She heard him moan again.

"Oh thank god, Leo are you awake?"

"Yeah, but I… I don't know if I can walk." He groaned.

"Don't worry, I… Here." She lifted him onto her back, and wrapped him around her so that she was giving him a piggyback ride.

"Pipes, what was that thing?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell everyone when we get back to the lodge."

"Percy…"

"You've clearly had a long night." She said. "Can you hold up the light for me?"

"Yeah… yeah. I can do that."

"Thanks man, I owe you one." She said confidently. She and Leo were going to make it, she knew they would. They had to. And so she marched on, her friend on her back as they ventured further into the mine.


	9. Chapter 8: Revelations

Percy managed to stay on his feet as he landed, he felt himself waking up as he realized he wasn't in the clear yet. He uncapped the flare, lighting it and the area around him. He hurried to find the exit, and he seemed to find it easily. After dropping down he walked down through a tunnel, following the path again. He felt almost hopeless as he ventured on.

But then, he remembered Leo, who had sacrificed himself to save Percy, and how Annabeth was waiting for them to return to the lodge. Annabeth. That woke him up and made him much more alert. He had to make it back to Annabeth.

He slipped in between a wall and a rocky cave side, finally thinking he'd found a way out. Only to have his moment of triumph ruined when a hand broke through the wooden planks towards him.

"Holy shit!" Percy shouted running as fast as he could through the space and slipping out just in enough time to sprint down a wooden ladder to the other side. A creeping thin creature that reminded him of some spidery much more agile zombie appeared behind him.

"What the fuck, what the fuck!?" He repeated as he ran through the mine. He ran right into the direction of the surface elevator and managed to get it running before that monster could attack him.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay. You're okay. Just get it together, Percy. You can do this." As the elevator reached the top he knew that he'd been followed. How, he didn't know, but he didn't take the time to question it. Instead, he ran full force through the mining house he found himself in.

He grabbed at a hanging chain and yanked it down, sending a massive amount of stones toppling onto the monster. Without a moment to lose, he ran and as he ran by he knocked down some barrels in his path hoping to stop the monster. As his final act he threw his flare onto the liquid seeping out of the barrel before jumping down off of the platform.

He rushed over to a conveyor belt, realizing there was no other way to move forward. As there was a partially frozen lake in front of him. While Percy was a swimmer, he didn't exactly feel like taking a frosty dip. He turned it on and began climbing up the stayed on the belt until it reached the top where there was a drop down to a grinder.

Quickly Percy jumped over it and ran to the nearest door. Locking the door finally hit him with a much needed sense of relief.

But as he stood there, the monster busted through the door and bit into his left shoulder. With absolutely no reservations he punched the beast in its stupid face, which tore some of the skin it had gripped onto. Percy jumped away from the monster before it could bust through the door completely. Hastily he took off his coat and used it as a zip line down the wire powerlines. Though he ran into an issue, literally, when he had to drop down before he ran into the power cord connecter. Percy must have been the luckiest boy alive, because he landed in a snow bank that caused him to tumble down the rest of the hill. He'd fallen far enough that he could see the lodge.

"Oh thank god." He groaned, standing up to shoulder his jacket back onto his torso. His whole body, prickled with pain but he needed to get back to the lodge, everyone was counting on him. And Leo had left him with this one job. He had so many reasons to press on that the cold didn't bother him in the slightest.

He reached the lodge in what felt like no time at all, he climbed up the stairs and banged on the door.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked. After her and Frank had locked Octavian in his room they had returned to the living room to help consol Jason.

"Percy and Leo! They must be back." Hazel said hopefully.

"Percy!" Annabeth jumped up and answered the door. Sure enough there he was looking worse for wear, but seeing Annabeth instantly melted all of his fear away. "Percy!" Annabeth jumped at his neck clutching him to her. "Where have you been, you idiot!? You look like hell!"

"I just got back." He muttered, inhaling her scent and gripping the fabric of her jacket. "Sorry I kept you guys so long, I tried but… So much has happened." He sighed as Annabeth closed the door behind him.

"You're freezing." She said bringing him over to the couch.

"Where's Leo?" Hazel asked, feeling her happiness dissipate.

"We… We went to the radio tower to call for help and Leo. God he was amazing, he got in contact with the rangers and they're sending help."

"When?" Jason asked sternly.

"Not until dawn."

"Dawn? Oh my god that's not for another three hours." Hazel groaned.

Percy sighed. "Then the tower, something happened and the tower it collapsed into the mine… And… And Leo-"

"What happened to Leo?" Jason asked, he couldn't lose his two best friends in one night.

"He tried to save me. The tower, it got caught and he tried to help me." Percy started crying, "But the tower it couldn't hold us both and he wouldn't fucking jump to safety! I told him to jump!"

"What happened, baby? Calm down." Annabeth said soothingly.

"The tower collapsed again, some loose cord wrapped around my foot, but Leo… He's gone, guys. I'm so sorry. He just wanted to save me and I killed him."

"Stop it, Percy, it's not your fault." Annabeth said.

"Well, if it makes you feel better Percy. We don't have a psycho to worry about anymore. It was just Octavian pulling a prank on us." Frank informed him. Though he was still weak from all that had happened, he knew he had to stay strong, for all of them. They couldn't afford weakness if they were going to survive.

"What? You mean because of that fucktard, Leo is dead?"

"I don't think he collapsed the tower, dude." Jason said.

"No but if he hadn't pulled this shit in the first place-"

"None of that matters, Percy. We can't dwell in the past. We're safe and that's all that matters." Hazel said.

"Yeah, we're safe but Piper and Leo aren't." Jason said bitterly, "And we're just going to leave them out there?"

"Jason-"

"We're not safe in here, we're not safe so long as we're on this mountain." Percy said. "I saw something. This monster thing. I'm not sure what it was. But I saw something. We aren't alone and we are most definitely not safe."

"Percy what are you talking about?" Hazel asked.

"I saw something, I don't know what I just, I know I saw something, this monster. I'm telling you this thing came after me and…. I don't know what I was supposed to do I was scared and all I could do was run."

Suddenly they heard a knock at the back door.

After a moment of hesitation Frank asked, "Leo?"

"It can't be Leo." Percy said assuredly.

"Let's go check it out." Jason said making sure his gun was loaded.

"I'll go with you." Hazel said, not risking anyone being by themselves for even a moment.

The two of them walked towards the back door. "I'll get the door, you be the brawn?" Hazel asked.

"Sounds good." Jason nodded readying himself to fire.

Hazel opened the door, rather quickly in fact. In walked a man with a canister upon his back, looking directly at Jason.

"Whoa there man, I don't want to hurt you." Jason said as Hazel slinked back to Jason's side. The stranger closed the door behind him.

"Then don't, I'm here to help you." He said confidently. Hazel and Jason looked between each other. "Where are the others?"

"This way." Hazel said.

"Hazel." Jason gripped her arm, "You're just going to trust him?"

"Of course she is, she has good sense." He said.

"Jason, come on, if worst comes to worst you still have your gun and we have more people." Hazel said.

"I guess you're right." Jason conceded and led the stranger into the living room where the others were still sitting.

"You… You're the guy who saved me." Percy said. The stranger looked at Percy for a brief moment before addressing the group.

"You kids have some nerve coming back up here on this mountain, especially after what happened last year." He said coldly, as the friends gathered together on the couch. "Coming up here on my mountain."

"Your mountain?" Annabeth asked skeptically. "It doesn't belong to you."

"Well it doesn't be long to this little family either. This mountain belongs to the wendigo."

"What the hell's a wendigo?" Jason asked.

"Now I'm only going to tell you this once, I've got my reasons for being here, and that's to make sure all of you kids get off this mountain alive."

"Great we're all on the same agenda." Percy said confidently.

"There's a curse that dwells in these mountains." He said, staring down Percy with an ominous glare. "Should any man or woman turn to cannibalism in these woods, the spirit of the wendigo shall be upon them."

"That still doesn't explain what a wendigo is." Annabeth said. But Jason came to realize something… That wendigo thing, it must have attacked Piper.

"Is it like this human zombie thing? Really tall and thin, pale as a baby's bottom?" Percy asked.

"Fast as hell too. Strong and deadly."

"So we're up against zombies!?" Hazel asked exasperated. "You've gotta be fucking joking. This isn't some goddamn Walking Dead video game."

"I wish I were joking, but I'm not. You kids need to find some place safe."

"The basement…" Annabeth said. "There's a room down there that we could barricade ourselves in."

"For how long?" Hazel asked looking worriedly at Frank who was dazed from firing a blank right at his head.

"Until dawn." Percy said, "That's when the rescue team is coming."

"Okay, let's go get Octavian out of his room, and bring him down too." Annabeth said.

"Really?" Jason sighed.

"Yes really." Annabeth got up and left the living room.

"So… How do you know what happened last year?" Percy asked.

"I tried to help them, but by the time I got to the girls, it was too late, they'd fallen down into the mines. You have to understand. Every year I've tried to protect you kids, and until last year I think I did a pretty good job of doing just that."

"Did you ever find them?"

"I found the grave of one of those girls. Hylla, was her name. But I never found the other girl's body."

"How many of those things are out there?"

"At least twelve." Jason said. "I found these articles about this… mine collapse there were twelve who were rescued and rehabilitated but they were unstable. They kept attacking doctors and anyone really."

"I've managed to trap some of them, but there are still more out there."

Jason suddenly intercepted the ending conversation with a question. "Hey, uh... Say someone got taken by that wendigo thing… What would happen to them?"

"You don't want to know, kid."

"But I do…"

"First it'll taken their head off, if they're lucky. If not it goes straight to breaking every bone in their body to tenderize the meat. And then it rips out handfuls of the body to eat."

Jason felt nauseous. "And is there anyway to escape?"

"The only effective way I've found of killing them is with fire. Even I avoid that. I prefer trapping them, once you kill a wendigo you release its spirit back onto the mountain and it searches for a new body to inhabit. Nasty business you don't want that. But, sometimes you don't have a choice, once they've got you, you're got. There is no way around it. Gun shots will only stun them just so you know, so keep that thing handy but don't get too trigger happy."

"There has to be a way to-" Jason looked past the stranger and saw Annabeth racing down the stairs.

"Guys, Octavian is missing." She said frantically, "He's not in his room and the window was completely shattered."

"Fuck!" Jason groaned.

"Stay calm everyone, he couldn't have gone too far. I'll go out looking for him, the rest of you get to that basement."

The others nodded to the stranger and helped one another get down into the basement.

* * *

Once they reached the basement and locked the doors, they began to settle in for the next few hours until morning. Hazel sat Frank down on a stool and searched for some kind of first aid kit, but that would have been too easy, so of course she couldn't find one. However, Jason and Annabeth did find a complete map of the tunnels and it seemed like the whole mountain. There was an entrance to the mines right out of the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Jason and Annabeth looked at each other after observing it, Annabeth didn't feel too confident about that look Jason was giving her.

"Do you think Octavian's okay?" Percy asked hopping up on one of the counter tops, Hazel had already checked for supplies in.

"I don't know." Annabeth sighed.

"I'm going back out." Jason resolved. "Piper and Leo are-"

"Dead. And if they aren't they more than likely will be." Annabeth said sharply.

"But Octavian's not, not yet. And right now he needs to know that even though he's a major douche, we still care about him. Someone has to go."

"That weird guy already went looking for him." Percy said.

"I don't care… Plus if I find him… Maybe he has the key to the cable car and we can get the fuck out of here faster. And if they are dead, I need some closure okay? I'll be back by dawn. I promise." Jason said heading out of the saferoom.

"Dumbass." Frank groaned.

Percy began to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder, and as such he took off his jacket to alleviate some of the strain.

"Percy… What is that?" Hazel asked.

"You're hurt? Why didn't you say anything?" Annabeth asked taking a look at the wound.

"Well, it wasn't exactly the most pressing issue at the time."

"Is that… a bite mark?" Hazel asked. Everyone in the safe room stopped to stare at him.

"It bit you?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah… Yeah it bit me."

"Oh my god, oh my god, Percy!" Hazel began to lose her cool. This was the last fucking straw.

"I know what you're thinking… I've been wondering it too." Percy said, "Maybe it'll be safer for you guys to go after Jason. I don't trust myself."

"Have you felt any different?" Annabeth asked.

"No… Not yet. But it hurts a lot."

"Percy." Annabeth's eyes welled up with tears. "Percy no."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Percy and Annabeth kissed, her tears leaving wet spots on his cheeks.

"Come on, Frank, let's go find our headstrong buddy." Hazel said helping him stand.

"I love you." Annabeth said.

"I love you more." Percy responded as she slipped out of his grasp.

"I loved you most." She said turning away to open the door Jason had left through. After locking the door behind them, the three of them headed back out into the unknown.


	10. Chapter 9: Despair

Jason made his way back to the sanitorium, certain that his friends had probably followed after him, he locked the door behind him before climbing up the stairs. The whole place looked even more trashed than before, if that were possible.

He returned the room where the wolf had been before, only, she wasn't there anymore and it seemed like a portion of the roof had collapsed. Jason searched on, opening the first unlocked gate which lead him outside, to a small cemetery. Not finding anything worth his while, he left to go find another way out. The only other door he could foresee being any help at all was locked, hesitant but seeing no other way, Jason shot the lock right off the door. As he entered the new room, out from behind the rubble Lupa appeared.

"Hey girl." Jason smiled as the wolf neared him. "You ready for an adventure to avenge my girlfriend?" The wolf allowed Jason to scratch between its ears. Jason took that as a yes. "Alright so here's the plan. We need to get to the psych ward, so we can get into the mines. Shoot up some of those wendigos, and find my friend. Got it?"

She shook off her coat of some loose dust and began to lead the way. Jason followed Lupa into the psych ward, he was repulsed by the amount of chains and fences, but then he recalled the time period this was built in. He tried not to let his emotions get in the way of his actions, but he felt on edge, suddenly every sense in his body was on high alert.

He followed Lupa down hallways scattered with broken bits of doors, and open cells that Jason wasn't exactly gung ho about searching. He was pretty sure he understood what had happened, the miners had been turned and whatever had happened to them, now they were less than human.

As they looped around back to the main room the Lupa stopped and stared back into the middle of the main room.

Jason also stopped and waited, he looked down as he heard a sound coming from a hole in the ground, only to look back up and see a Wendigo jumping onto the rumble. Without saying a word, Jason shot the wendigo knocking it off of its perch. He followed Lupa into the closest room, and he barricaded the door with a nearby filing cabinet.

"Oh shit, shit." Jason took large gulps of air, stunned by the silence, he walked back to the door, only to see the glass window shattered by the wendigo's hand. Without thinking he took the machete from his belt loop and stabbed the wendigo with it before running after Lupa into the next room.

He closed the door and locked it behind him. Lupa nuzzled at his fingers, whimpering slightly.

"It's okay girl, we'll make it out of here." He promised, now looking around the room. He saw a shadow appear and ducked down behind one of the many askew desks scattered throughout the room.

He waited as he heard the wendigo retreat back into the shadows, Lupa again took the lead, Jason followed her around the next corner, making sure his gun was still loaded, and ready to shoot at any moment.

Jason felt very off about this room they were in, barred up cells lined the left wall down the whole way, though rubble had piled up and even in some parts broke the cells.

Out of nowhere a hand appeared in front of Jason, causing him to fall back.

"What the hell!?" Jason shouted as Lupa barked at the wendigo, but Jason realized that they were all behind bars. They were trapped, and he began to wonder if this is where that stranger kept all of those wendigos.

Nevertheless Jason continued to follow Lupa, the sooner he left the better it would be. Another hand stuck out of it's cell but Jason had the sense to sidestep and avoid it. As he continued another hand tried to grab his ankle, but again, he avoided this too.

He tried to start running but soon a wendigo jumped out at him, he shot it right in chest and saw it recoil back into its cell, this one seemed to be attached to a collar, that at least kept it from pursuing Jason.

He ran again, this time when he turned back he saw a wendigo that was free of a cell. "Fuck!" Jason cursed when he reached the door, he slammed all of his weight into it, but the door needed more weight. He had no time.

He turned around, facing the wendigo, he shot it right in the head. He noticed a barrel beside him, and without a moment to spare, he rolled it onto the ground and towards the wendigo. But as the beast roused from it's daze, a second one appeared. He slammed into the door behind him, letting Lupa into the next room as he shot the barrel killing the two pursuing monsters. The blast knocked Jason into the next room. He laid there for a moment, Lupa licked his face before he could stand up.

"I've got some moves, huh girl?" Jason asked closing the charred door behind him and locking it.

Jason and Lupa hurried to the next room and walked up the stairs. Jason knew they were close to the exit, just a littler further and they'd be home free.

The two of them wandered through the more decrepit, if that were even possible, part of the hospital. As they reached a long stretch of hallway ending in a door, Jason heard something he didn't like.

"Run!" Jason yelled, racing Lupa down the hallway as another wendigo appeared. Jason managed the blow the lock off the door from a distance, giving Lupa time to run into the room, quickly followed by Jason himself.

With the two safely in the next room, he pushed a set of freeroaming lockers in front of the door before it could attack. He heard the wendigo smash its skull into the door from the other side.

"We did it, Lupa, we made it." He patted her head which turned into an ear scratch too. "Thanks for sticking with this old man for so long." He chuckled at how winded he was.

Lupa started heading towards a different exit than Jason intended to go. She probably knew what Jason was getting himself into and wanted no part of it.

"Thank you, really." He smiled at her as she climbed out of the nearby exit. Jason however hurried towards the next area, luckily there was a drop down, so he didn't have to take the long route. He jumped down and hurried to the door, when suddenly another wendigo appeared behind him, not taking any chances, Jason shot at it, sending the monster flying back down into the basement. But another one dropped down after him, and Jason was left with only one option, to shoot the pile of barrels and kill the two monsters. He fired one shot and ran out of the building, narrowly avoiding the blast as he ran.

When he finally turned around to see the damage he'd done he noticed a sound like shrill inhuman screams. He'd released all of those wendigo spirits, but he felt oddly satisfied, knowing that he'd somewhat helped purge the mountain of those creatures.

He'd gotten his wolf friend out alive, and he was headed straight for the mine, but under his breath he took a moment to give his destruction meaning. "That was for Piper, you sick fucks." He turned back and headed straight into the mines

* * *

Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth were walking through the tunnels still actively looking for Jason. But Frank was falling behind, he was weak, tired, and on his last leg. He was starting to realize he really couldn't go on. After the whole locking Percy in the basement thing happened, Frank was feeling weaker and weaker, he wondered what was wrong with him, but he realized it was probably from when he got punched out cold, he remembered hitting the door behind him. And when he had been knocked out again he'd tried to run but busted up his ankle when the killer… Octavian, had grabbed him.

"Guys come on, we've got to find, Jason." Annabeth said, moving forward quickly.

"Hey guys, you go on ahead, I'll catch up." Hazel noticed a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead as Frank said this.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I just, I'm tired and I need a minute." He was about to sit down when Hazel stopped him.

"We are not leaving you. This whole night has been a fucking nightmarish horror film Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to call his own. And in horror films you don't split up." She huffed then, "Plus you've saved me one too many times tonight. It's my turn to keep you alive, you've got that?"

"She's right, Frank. We aren't going to leave you behind." Annabeth said, between the two girls they were able to support Frank as they walked through the underground. When they reached the door to the sanitorium Annabeth left Frank with Hazel and tried ramming it open.

"Fucking fuck." She sighed, "It's locked from the other side. We have to find another way in."

From the looks of it there was no other way to go but back, and none of them were willing to do that.

"Hey, what about this?" Hazel asked pointing to the sewer beneath them.

"Yeah, yeah that might work. You good to climb?" Annabeth asked Frank.

"I don't exactly have a choice."

"Then let's go." Hazel and Annabeth lifted the grate off of the top and one by one the three of them climbed down into the sewer. Which really couldn't be called a sewer, it was more like a tunnel or a secret passage. To where? They weren't sure. Hazel was beginning to question why they were doing any of this. Jason was a big kid, he could take care of himself. But she immediately scolded herself for that thought. Jason was like a big brother to her, if they were going to get back they needed to do it together.

They reached the end of the path, the only way out was up, and Hazel definitely knew they couldn't make it, not with Frank being so tired already.

"What do we do?" Hazel asked.

"I think I can make it, I'll climb up you guys go back to the lodge, lock all the doors and stay there until dawn." Annabeth said.

"We aren't splitting up for the last time." Hazel said firmly.

"I have to get Jason. He's out there and he's an emotional mess. He needs me just as much as Frank needs you right now." Hazel looked over to see Frank sat down by the wall of the cave. Hazel sighed looking at him.

"Fine… I trust you, but promise me something."

"What's up?"

"This isn't the last time I see you. You got that?" Hazel felt tears prickling in her eyes.

"Promise." Annabeth said gripping her friend tightly.

"This isn't goodbye, it's see you later okay?"

"Okay, I've got it." Annabeth began climbing up the wall, while Hazel helped Frank to stand up.

"Come on, let's get you back." Hazel said tenderly, she wondered if Frank had a fever or if he was just that exhausted. Whatever it was she helped him hobble back up and out of the tunnel.

As they walked down the hall back to the basement, she could have sworn she heard Piper's voice calling out for help.

Hazel couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Piper was dead, killed by that monster, nobody deserved that fate. And Leo… Leo was gone too. Two of her closest friends gone forever.

"Hazel! Stop crying and help me!" Wait…

Hazel turned around and saw, Piper standing behind her, looking extremely roughed up, but even so she had a tired looking Leo on her back carrying a lantern in front of her. Kind of like a Sacagawea situation, only the baby was carrying a light.

"Pipes!" Hazel shouted, Frank also turned to look and was stuck in a state of disbelief.

"I'm crazy, I've literally cracked." He said.

"No you big oaf." Piper smiled affectionately at him, as Hazel rushed the two of them with a hug.

"How are you alive? Jason said you were dead, and Leo-"

"Well, here we are, very much not dead." Leo said slipping off of Piper's back and onto unsteady feet.

"Thank god you're okay." Hazel sighed.

"Are we close to the house?" Piper asked her.

"Yeah, it's just down this hall."

"Good." Piper nodded heading forward as she led Leo. The two of them reached the locked door before Hazel and Frank could warn them.

"Wait!" Hazel said, but it was too late, Piper had already opened the door, and inside she saw… Percy sound asleep on a counter?

"Percy?" Piper asked walking into the room. "Percy, wake up!" She shook him awake.

"Huh!? What?" He sat up wiping the drool off his cheek.

"Piper stop." Hazel and Frank hung back at the door while Leo took a seat on a free stool.

"Why are you locked in this room?" Piper asked him curiously.

"I'm dead, aren't I… I died, right?" Percy asked looking between Leo and Piper.

"No, you're not dead, you were asleep. Why were you locked in here? Wanted to take a nap while the rest of us fought for our lives?" She asked lightly.

"I've already fought for my life once tonight and it didn't work out so well." He looked at Leo, still not sure whether or not he was alive and real.

"What are you talking about?" Piper asked.

"He got bit, Piper." Frank said.

"The wendigo bit him, and that's why he was in here alone." Hazel explained.

Piper looked between all of her friends.

"Wait Hazel and Frank are dead too?" Percy asked.

"How many bad vampire films have you idiots been watching?" Piper asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry?" Percy asked.

"You don't 'turn' into a wendigo." Piper said, making air quotes around the word turn. "You become one. The only way to become a wendigo is to eat another human being."

"Piper look at me, what do you see?" Percy asked with a humored smile. He was relieved that he wasn't going to get turned into a vicious man eating monster. He was allowing himself the joke.

"A dumbass?" Piper smirked.

"White." He held up his pale hands to circle his body. "I'm fucking white, how the hell was I supposed to know that?"

"Damn Piper, you're like, the angel of good news." Frank chuckled sitting down next to Leo.

"Angels aren't real, that would be ridiculous." Piper snorted.

"Oh, wendigo's can be real, but angels are taking it too far?" Hazel laughed.

"Duh." Piper chuckled. "Angels are supposed to be good, only evil things are real."

Percy stood up from the countertop and hugged Leo. "I'm glad you're alive." Percy pulled back and slapped his shoulder.

"Ow! Bruh." Leo chuckled.

"Don't you ever sacrifice yourself for me ever again. You hear me?"

"Sure, let's hope I don't have to." Leo looked around Percy to Piper. "By the way, what's a wendago?"

Piper sighed, "The _wendigo_ , is a monster that lives on these mountains, it feasts upon human flesh, though even then it will never be satisfied. The wendigo's hunger is insatiable, the more it eats, the more it wants, the more vicious it becomes. The only way to become the monster is to become a cannibal yourself."

"Don't eat your bros, got it." Leo nodded.

"Legend says, the only way to kill it is to burn it to the ground, just as the only way you can destroy the forest is by fire. And the only way to escape its clutches is to be as still as frozen ice." Piper was reciting what her grandfather had taught her many years ago. She almost felt closer to the spirit of her people as she spoke the legends.

"So, kill it with fire huh?" Leo asked standing up. "Fire just so happens to be a specialty of mine. Come on kids it's time to get crafty."

"What are you going to do?" Frank asked.

"Look, if that thing found Piper and I, it can find all of us here, wrapped up like a fucking Christmas present. But I say it's time to fight back. We rig the house with fire bombs, I can set it up so that the nearest light switch to the exit will detonate the bombs. If that thing comes after us before dawn all we'll have to do is blow it sky high."

"This is crazy." Percy says.

"Just crazy enough to work." Piper said softly. "Hold on a minute… Where are Jason, Annabeth, and Octavian?"

There was a heartbeat of silence, while Leo and Piper stared in confusion, Hazel spoke up.

"Well, Pipes, to make a long story short, there was this madman in a mask who, tied me an Octavian up in this shed with a saw blade which we thought killed Octavian, but it didn't. And then he strapped Frank and I to these chairs and he made Frank shoot himself with a blank. And he made Annabeth walk around in a towel for three hours, and then we found out it was Octavian all along, so none of that mattered we weren't in any real danger.

"So we locked Octavian in his room but Leo and Percy had gone for help, right after we thought Octavian had died, and Percy came back alone. Then there was this stranger who told us all about the wendigo and we were going to lock ourselves in here, but then Octavian escaped his room and so that stranger man went after him.

"Then we all came down here and Jason went out looking for Octavian, but then we thought Percy would get turned into a wendigo, so we all left to go after Jason. But Frank couldn't keep going so Annabeth went looking for him alone and we came back, where we ran into you."

Piper shook her head, "That wasn't short at all."

"I told you it was a long story." Hazel shrugged.

"So wait, Octavian was the masked man?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Frank nodded.

"What a fucking dick!" Leo said, "I got propelled into a mine, concussed, and then taken into the wendibitches lair for that douche canoe."

"Wendibitches? Really?" Hazel asked.

"Do not make fun of them, Leo, they are dangerous creatures. When I was little, my grandfather used to tell me the stories of people who had resorted to cannibalism, people who had even gone so far as to eat their own families. The wendigo's spirit is strong and it is something we need to give proper respect." Piper said solemnly.

"Well, then let's not call them anything. Let's just try to get out of here alive." Frank said.

"I second that." Hazel said.

"We just have to wait until dawn, the rescuers will come for us then." Percy said.

"And how long is that gonna take?" Piper asked.

"Let's see." Hazel took out her phone, "About an hour and a half."

"Alright, you guys go fix up your flaming house party, I'll go look for the others, they don't have any idea what they're up against." Piper was about to back up towards the door when she heard a loud shouting coming from beside her.

"No!" Hazel literally put her foot down. "No! No! No! No! No more splitting up, no more noble heroes, no more self sacrifice! No! No one else is leaving, Piper! You've survived one wendigo attack tonight, I'm not letting you go back out there alone, when Annabeth is already heading after your dumbass of a boyfriend! No! You are staying with us! We are all going to go upstairs, together, and set up this bomb and wait for dawn together, because we are a fucking family and I am not letting any of you get hurt! Am I understood?!"

Hazel was breathing heavily, her face almost purple with rage. No one had ever seen her look so absolutely lethal before. She'd never even raised her voice, even Hazel was somewhat surprised by her blow up. But at the same time, there was no way she was letting anyone else get hurt. Even if it was fake, Hazel had two people die for her that night and she was sick of her painfully selfless friends.

They all needed to survive this, and they had to do it together. Hazel was certain that they could do it. All they had to do was keep their heads and stick together. They would all make it out alive if Hazel had any say about it. And right then she had the only say that mattered.

"You're right." Piper agreed hugging her friend, she was the quickest to snap out of her shocked stupor. The boys were still staring at her like she was a crazy person. And hell maybe she was, maybe they all were. Maybe this was all just some really bad acid trip gone horribly wrong.

Piper continued to speak, "You're so right, we can't split up anymore, we're stronger in our numbers. Annabeth and Jason are the strongest blonde doofuses I know. If anyone can make it out of this with Octavian intact, it's them."

The two girls looked at their absolutely terrified friends, both too hesitant to move.

"Come on boys, we don't have time to waste, let's burn this fucker down." Hazel said leading the way back up to the lodge.

* * *

Annabeth climbed the whole way up, not missing a single footstep of hand hold. She was wilding proud of herself when she reached the top of the cliff.

"Fuck yeah." Annabeth marveled at herself for a moment before she turned back, the walk was short lived before she encountered a small drop off, she took a little leap of faith as she dropped down. As she walked forward, suddenly what she had thought was just some loose metal, swung open to reveal itself as a door.

"Holy hell!" Annabeth jumped back, and in came, Jason, looking just as he had before leaving the lodge.

"Hey, Annabeth?" Jason asked helping her stand up. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"I came looking for you, it's stupid to be out here alone, and define okay?"

"Alive for starters."

"Then I'm fucking fantastic." She smiled at him.

"I knew you'd follow me. Where are the others?"

She decided to lie to him, no sense in telling him they'd lost Percy. "They turned back to the lodge, Frank is in pretty bad shape."

"Yeah, shooting a blank into your head will do that to you." Jason nodded.

"How are you?"

"Well, I accidentally murdered like six or seven wendigos, but it's all good because a saved a wolf."

"Oh, perfect."

"Yeah, I thought so." The two shared a brief moment, smiling at each other before Jason straightened up. "Alright, well, let's go find Octavian."

"Sounds like a plan."

The two began their descent into the wendigo's lair.


	11. Chapter 10: Repentance

Jason and Annabeth reached a dark ominous cave, where they were certain nothing but awful things awaited them. There was a lake separating them between their destination and they had absolutely no desire to tread through it if they didn't have to, they found another round about way to get there, they had to do some climbing, but once they made it over the wall, they were golden.

Jason had gone first and when he dropped down he found something he didn't want to see.

"Oh no." He gasped for air, "Oh… oh my god."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked, she saw him hunched over on the ground, when she looked at his hands she saw the beanie Reyna had been wearing and it was splattered with blood. "Oh my god, Reyna."

"I'm so sorry. So many people have died on this mountain, Reyna. I'm so sorry that you and Hylla had to go I could have changed even the smallest thing that night, if I had changed even one little thing. I would defy the laws of physics to change it, just so you could make it."

"Jason, come on we have to keep going." Annabeth pulled him up, Jason tossed the hat away from him as they walked into the wendigo's lair.

When they walked inside they saw several corpses hanging up on chains, severed heads in cages, and bones scattered about.

"Holy fuck, no." Annabeth covered her mouth.

"I'm going to be sick." Jason turned away from the bodies, suddenly the two heard the all too familiar voice of Octavian ringing through the room.

"I will! I will! I will!" He shouted over and over again.

"Octavian!?" Annabeth shouted walking further into the room, when they reached an open area, they saw Octavian, sobbing as he walked around in a small circle.

"I promise you, I'll do it!" He shouted.

"What's wrong with him?" Annabeth asked, while Jason didn't hesitate to smack him.

"Octavian! Snap out of it!"

"What?" Octavian asked looking dazed at his two friends.

"It's okay Octavian we're here for you. We'll get you out of here." Annabeth said calmly.

"Why?" He asked, fresh tears falling down his face.

"It's almost dawn the rescuers will be here soon." Jason informed him.

"You don't understand."

"What don't we understand?" Annabeth asked.

"Look up." He said simply.

The two of them looked up and saw Reyna's dead body hanging over them.

"Oh my god." Annabeth covered her mouth.

"No." Jason whispered.

"Don't you get it? They sent me here, my sisters sent me here so that I could avenge them." Octavian said.

"You don't get it man, these things can't be fought, there's no way to kill them." Jason knew it was a lie, but it was a lie for a just cause.

"Then I want to die here, with my sisters. Our parents have never given a shit about us and they freaking adopted me. Once they had the twins, they stopped caring about us and thought that if they threw enough money at us, we'd shut up. I was supposed to be there for them, and it wasn't enough."

"They didn't die just so you could die too." Annabeth reasoned.

"I don't care, I need to remind them that they were still loved. They may not be here anymore, but I still am, I can still fight this thing."

Just as he said this, a wendigo entered the room, Octavian stole Jason's gun and started firing at the beast.

"Come at me you fucking piece of shit!" He shouted.

"Octavian!" Jason screamed as he rushed forward towards the monster.

"We have to go!" Annabeth pulled Jason back.

"He's in danger." Jason said.

"And so are we." They heard the absolutely horrendous screams of the monster as Octavian fought it off. "Come on, hopefully that stranger can do something about this."

"But-"

"We are just kids, Jason! We can't do everything and I'm scared, please." Annabeth started crying. "I'm so tired."

"I know…" Jason looked back reluctantly at Octavian before quickly scanning the cavern. "There." He pointed at a straight shot out if they could just climb up a few ledges. "Let's go."

The two of them rushed up the rock wall and climbed out of the mine, back out in the open wasn't too good of an option but it was better than the alternative. They were cold and tired, at least the storm was dying down.

"Back to the lodge?" Jason asked.

Panting Annabeth responded, "Yes, back to the lodge, fast. Dawn in T minus thirty minutes."

"We can make it. I know we can." Jason felt the heaviness of his decision to leave Octavian behind, but the two of them rushed into the forest towards the lodge without looking back.

* * *

Leo was putting the finishing touches on the fire bombs, finally getting them all hooked up to the same panel, so that they'd all detonate when they flipped the light switch. There was one right next to the side exit, which Leo had decided would be the perfect place to set it up. The rest of the gang paired off to set up the 'bombs' all over the house. Though they weren't so much bombs as they were random assortments of makeshift houseware, doused in gasoline and attached to the copper wire that would set them off.

Piper and Hazel went through each room, Hazel taking great care to ensure that anything valuable to the friends was stowed away in her pockets. Piper finally changed into dry warm clothes, and shoes, she was grateful for the first time in her life for shoes.

Hazel had stashed away every phone, and some other valuables like a few necklaces and pictures. She couldn't image her friends leaving those things behind.

Percy and Frank attached bombs to the rooms downstairs and to the banisters leading into the basement. They weren't taking any chances.

Finally, fifteen minutes til six the friend met back up in the living room, Frank was ready to keel over, but nobody was willing to let him.

"We should start heading outside." Frank suggested walking towards the open door. Piper heard something from downstairs and moved over to the railing.

Percy started to follow Frank, but Hazel questioned that. "We should stay here, what if something's out there?"

"It'll be fine, Hazel, the wind has died down enough. The cold won't be too much of a bother." Leo reasoned.

"Guys!" Piper backed away from the railing as a wendigo jumped out of the basement and into the living room. "Don't move! Do not move!" Piper said standing her ground.

The other friends froze where they stood, petrified at the sight of the decrepit monster.

Then from the front door, another wendigo burst inside screeching at the one already present.

The two jumped into the center of the room, stalking each other, waiting for one another to make the first move. One of the beasts tackled the other and soon they were caught in a fierce brawl.

Frank was able to escape out the door before the creatures could spot him. The first wendigo smashed the second one's head into the ground before looking up at the four remaining teens.

Percy, who was the next closest to the door, made a horrible mistake, he stepped back causing the floor to creak beneath his weight. The beast turned around and snarled at him, looking ready to pounce, but before it could Hazel shouted at it.

"Hey!" The creature quickly looked away and crept right in front of Hazel's face. Staring her down as Percy escaped into the night. The wendigo snarled at her, and it took all of Hazel's restrain not to snarl back.

The other wendigo had finally pulled itself together and attacked the first wendigo, forcing it to the ground, missing Hazel completely.

Piper mouthed at Leo to run while he still had the chance. Reluctant at first, but then realizing that him being in there would help no one, he agreed and ran out to join the other boys.

Hazel inched her way over to Piper and hand in hand they made their way towards the door.

But when they were just a few steps to freedom, the wendigo brawl ended with one of the monsters being beheaded.

"Pipes…" Hazel said softly, Piper looked at the switch it was in reach, she could kill that thing, burn the fucker down, but the cost was too high. Hazel deserved to live.

"On three, we run, you get the switch." Piper said as the monster turned to look at them.

Hazel squeezed her hand, "One."

"Two."

"Three." Piper yanked Hazel behind her as she ran through the doorway. The wendigo, clawed Hazel's arm as she flipped the switch, blowing the whole lodge to hell. The girls were blown by the blast out into the snow. Percy and Leo quickly doused the flames that licked the girl's jackets.

Hazel opened her eyes, looking up at Leo. "Frank?" She asked weakly.

"I'm here." He promised holding her hand.

"Come on, Pipes, come on!" Percy shook the girl roughly. She opened her eyes briefly, but closed them again. Percy let out a sigh of relief, she was alive, still breathing. But understandably tired.

"What's that sound?" Hazel asked through parched lips.

For a moment Leo thought she was asking about the screeching of the wendigo spirit being released, but he looked up and saw three helicopters flying towards them. One of the helicopters landed on the other side of the house. But the other two came for them.

Four rescuers, two from each helicopter poured out to provide immediate assistance.

They knelt down by the girls and began assessing them for injuries.

"You two boys get in that one." One of the female rescuers pointed to the left helicopter, as she and her partner placed a half conscious Hazel on a gurney. "Let's go."

Percy held Piper's limp hand as she was loaded into the next helicopter. Percy felt so strange, what was going to happen to them? Why was he so much more scared of this than he had been the whole night? Did that other helicopter pick up Annabeth, Jason and Octavian?

There was just so much. So much he didn't know. Why didn't he feel safe yet?


	12. Chapter 11 Resolution

**When you could have sworn you updated this story almost a year ago but your STUPID IDIOT FACE NEVER DID EVEN THOUGH YOU WROTE THE LAST CHAPTER MONTHS AGO OMG I'M THE WORST AT FAN FICTION. Please feel free to yell at me in the comments I deserve it. Just like you deserve a satisfying ending my friends!**

Maybe the hospital was stark cold for a reason, but in that moment, whatever reason it was, simply wasn't good enough for Jason. He had a warm IV fluid bag stuck in his arm as he laid in a bed, attached to a heartrate monitor waiting for his temperature to rise before he could be released. Once he and Annabeth had arrived at the hospital they were wheeled from room to room for testing, CT scans, MRI's, the whole shebang. One more reason why Jason refused to become a doctor, he was reminded of the sanatorium, and every time he was in a new room he felt his whole body seize with caution.

He could feel his own pulse as he waited in utter silence, it was like the world had gone on mute, as he waited for any news on Annabeth or the others. His heart still clinging to the hope that maybe they had gotten out alive. Hazel, Frank, and Percy were resourceful if nothing else. They were fine, right? Right?

He knew the police were waiting to question him until he was released, hospital protocol and all. But he also knew that this whole debacle would be a big news story in the town they were brought to, hell maybe even the whole province would want to know. And what were they going to do anyway? Would he tell them that the wendigo was real, and be ridiculed as a college student either on drunks or under the influence? Or would he lie? Say there was a murderer living on that mountain?

His thoughts were interrupted by Annabeth being wheeled into his room, an IV attached to her and a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. "Thank god." Jason sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, no broken bones, nothing."

"Good." Jason sighed, "Me neither. Just a few scratches and bruises."

"Have you heard about the others?"

"Not a word."

Tears brimmed in her eyes, "They're dead, then, right? They have to be otherwise they'd tell us right?"

"Don't say that."

"And we just left Percy in the basement and he was all alone, just like Piper and Leo, and oh my god they're dead. Jason, they're dead."

Jason wanted to tell her to stop sobbing but her words cut into him like a knife. "What do you mean you left Percy in the basement?"

"He got bit… By that thing. It bit him. I didn't know what else to do." She collapsed on to him, sobbing into his dingy clothes because she couldn't think of anything else to do. That's when the officer entered the room, requesting to speak with them both. All he could do, however, was watch the two teenagers sob helplessly as they realized they might just be all alone in the world.

* * *

 **Leo sat with his hands between his legs, since he'd been out of the cold longer than anyone, he hadn't had such bad hypothermia. He was the first to be interviewed.**

" **You have to understand… there was a madman after us, there wasn't anything I could do I was sure we were going to die so I did the only thing I could do. So that's why we're in that godforsaken… fucking tower in the first place, alright? But the mines were far worse-"**

" **But the tower fell, where were you when the tower fell?"**

" **In the mines! I keep trying to tell you, there's something in the mines!"**

* * *

Hazel had finally felt the swelling in her eye go down, her body gaining warmth steadily as doctors hands weaved stiches into the cut. Her hypothermia wasn't so bad, again she hadn't spent nearly as much time outside as Piper or even Annabeth. Her heart was beating wildly out of her chest as the investigator asked her what had happened exactly.

"I know- Believe me I know I sound certifiably insane but I swear to you there's something in the mines. It has him, it has Octavian! You have to believe me." She was sobbing heavily, her heart absolutely shattering.

"But how did the house catch fire?"

She didn't answer, just shook her head and sobbed.

* * *

 **Maybe Frank should have been more worried about his surroundings, he'd been evaluated of course, but he was still mildly dazed from all that had happened. He was tired, all of the adrenaline gone from his body, leaving him cold and emotionally wasted. He just wanted to go home.**

" **You said that you felt like you were being watched."**

" **I-… Yeah, I guess."**

" **Is it possible that he could have been the one behind all of this?"**

 **Shaking his head he responded, "No, you don't understand, he was trying to help us, he went after Octavian… He wanted to help us! No it wasn't… He went after Octavian."**

* * *

Annabeth's whole body shook with tears and rage as the interrogators tried to decipher her story. Although it seemed like their questions were trying to spin up another story. It was driving her mad.

"No…" She composed herself and in a low voice she spoke hoarsely, "You need to listen to me. I don't care if you believe me or not. It doesn't matter because you will. You need to go down to the mines."

"What's in the mines, Annabeth?"

She shook her head images of body parts hanging from the ceiling and the screams of the wendigo flooding her mind. "If I told you, you'd never believe me… But the only way for you to believe me is to go there yourself. I've seen what's down there, and I'd give anything to un-see it."

* * *

 **Percy shook wildly in his seat frost bite and fear taking over his whole body. He too was relatively unharmed shockingly. He wasn't angry, he was mostly calm, terrified but peaceful.**

" **So this man followed you out of mine."**

" **Yes."**

" **And did you feel at all afraid of him?"**

" **Yes."**

" **Did he do anything to harm you?"**

" **I don't understand why you're focusing on this guy, he didn't hurt me. He-… He could have but… We were on the same side. The two of us fought on the same side."**

" **What do you mean?"**

" **The real monster lives in the mines. I'm willing to bet anything that's where you'll find Octavian."**

* * *

Jason's injuries were not so major, but he out of everyone felt the most defeated. Who hadn't he lost? All he had left was Annabeth.

"What happened when you found Octavian?"

Jason suppressed a sigh, "He uh… He wouldn't come with us. Then he just ran further into the mines… And we heard screaming and Annabeth was so scared, I was too but god. We just wanted to get out and so we left him."

"Do you know what happened to him?"

Jason suppressed the urge to vomit. "If what I think happened… If he had even half of what I saw in those mines happen to him…I hope to god he's dead, just so he won't suffer through that."

"You said you found one of the missing girls bodies?"

"Yeah… In the mines. Always in the fucking mines."

* * *

 **Piper by far had the most injuries, two fractured ribs and a concussion. Plus all the spattering of cuts and bruises. But he eyes were bright and alert taking in every second of her interview.**

" **I was… Carried… and taken…"**

" **What did you see?"**

 **She hadn't really seen anything, though she had in a way. The monster was so large and too overbearing a thought in her fragile mind. But she suddenly remembered something. "Jason… He came for me… He did. I remember. I heard him."**

" **Came for you?"**

" **Where is he? Did he make it?"**

" **What carried you? Was it one of your friends?"**

" **No, it… no. It was down there. It came from down there."**

" **Down where?"**

 **She fought the urge to say hell. "The mines. There's something in the mines."**

* * *

When Piper was finally reunited with the gang, it seemed that the world, their world at least, shattered as it was finally came together. Piper wondered if Jason would ever let go of her, she hoped not, she hadn't felt safe at all in the past twenty four hours. In his arms she felt safe and warm.

With the reunions made and the interrogations over the teens were allowed to leave, at a loss for a place to stay the night, Piper pulled together and got them the last available room at a nearby motel. It wasn't ideal, two double beds and a couch, but they all managed to get by, squishing into the mildly uncomfortable beds and sleeping next to one another until dawn the next day. Honestly the teens preferred cuddling together, it reminded them tht they were not alone. That they had survived, were finally safe.

When they were all awake, Piper decided it'd be best to call her dad and tell him what had happened, he of all people might be able to help them and fully believe their story.

She held the phone on speaker as the group huddled together on one bed. "Hello?"

"Hey, dad, it's Pipes. Are you at grandpa's yet?"

"Yeah, I am, why?"

"Can you call him over, I want him to hear this from me."

"Um… Okay."

After a moment of silence, and a reassuring squeeze from Jason's hand. Her grandpa and dad were both on the phone.

"Papa, do you remember those stories you used to tell me? The legends of our people?"

"I do, unlike your old man over here." The two men shared a laugh.

"Well… It kept me alive." She said sobering the two men up. "You know the legend of the wendigo?"

"Of course I do."

"I saw one, just two days ago." She began to explain what had happened to them on the mountain. Her friends jumping in to share their version of their night from hell. Maybe it was all a fantasy, but from what Piper's grandfather told them, their story was entirely real.

Needless to say, the friends did not return to blackwood mountain, instead the following year they spent the holiday in Piper and Jason's apartment, all decked out for Christmas. Sharing stories and laughs, no one mentioned the horrifying experience on that mountain. They know what happened up there, and they're grateful to never experienced anything like that ever again.

Still they were not expecting to be brutally reminded of their night on that mountain. The TV had been playing as background noise, Piper had just finished warming up her store-bought crab dip when she noticed the utter eerie silence coming from the living room.

"Guys? What's going on?" She asked walking into the room only to see the stranger's face plastered on the TV, 'Blackwood Mountain's serial killer exposed' read the headline. Horrifying images of the wendigo's lair cycled, through as the news anchor explained that only two of the missing people's bodies had been found. Piper and the gang exchanged glances between one another as the situation was explained by the news anchor.

The investigation had led the deep into the mines where they found the man who allegedly killed Reyna, Hylla, and Octavian. Hylla and Reyna's bodies had been recovered, but Octavian's was still missing.

Just as the news cast ended, Piper received a call from her father. He informed her that their experience that night was going to be turned into a film, sans the wendigo part. And where better to film it then exactly where the tragedy occurred.

All of her friends exchanged the same look at this news. First they knew that no matter what, Octavian's body would never be found, if the stranger hadn't saved Octavian there was only one alternative… One the group did not want to even fathom. And second, in the case of the actors and film crews… well, they were in for much more than they ever bargained for.


End file.
